TEXAS, USA — If Jasmine Crockett wins the runoff for Congressional District 30 (CD 30), the Democrat says she would focus on what she considers to be an “existential crisis” in America.
“We just saw what happened with the Supreme Court. It seems as if we are losing more rights than gaining,” Crockett said on Inside Texas Politics.
Crockett is currently a state representative representing House District 30. In July 2020, the civil rights attorney won a special election to replace Eric Johnson, who vacated his seat to become mayor of Dallas.
Crockett decided to run for Congress after political veteran Eddie Bernice Johnson announced she wouldn’t seek re-election after 30 years. Johnson immediately endorsed Crockett for the seat. Crockett now finds herself in a runoff for CD 30 with Jane Hope Hamilton.
As for those rights she referenced, Crockett said if she’s elected, she’d focus on protecting Roe v. Wade, which, according to the leak of a draft opinion, appears to be on the verge of being overturned.
That has led to fear and speculation that other landmark rulings might also be overturned, such as Loving v. Virginia, which made interracial marriage a federal right. That right is protected under the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. But Roe v. Wade also relies on the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections for personal liberty and other freedoms not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, such as the right to privacy. So if Roe is struck down, many fear other cases could soon follow.
Crockett said Congress should pass a law protecting abortion rights. But she’s not sure it could pass such a divided Congress. But that’s where she said her legislative experience would help.
“When you think about how extreme it is to say ‘hey, we’re just going to get rid of 50-year-old precedents, I think that there are some people that are uneasy about that,” said Crockett. “Well, people know what happens when I’m in the driver’s seat. They know that I don’t pretend like I’m going to speak up. But they know that I have spoken up.”
During a recent forum, it was brought up that Rep. Crockett had yet to open a district office for House District 100, despite holding the seat for nearly two years. Crockett said she took office during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she decided against opening a space to not only protect the public, but also her District Director, who was older than 70 at the time.
And she said there’s also the budget.
“Most people don’t realize that our budget is only $13,000 a month. That is to pay for your office. That is to pay for your staff. That is to pay for your mailings. That is to pay for everything. $13,000 a month is all we get,” Crockett said.
Crockett told WFAA they will soon hold a ribbon cutting for a new office. The runoff election for CD 30 will be held May 24.
Watch the full episode of Inside Texas Politics below:
