‘Because he is afraid of your voices’: Rep. Jasmine Crockett says Abbott is targeting Harris County’s Black voters

At an event held in Houston, the congresswoman urged voters to mobilize and “show the full force of Black voices” ahead of key February and March election dates.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, Rep. Jasmine Crockett stood before a ballroom filled with a chic crowd dressed in their finest formalwear, fur, feathers, and New Orleans tradition to deliver a message rooted in both culture and political urgency. Crockett, who announced her campaign to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn for his U.S. Senate seat and is competing in the March 3 Democratic primary, used the address to tie cultural celebration to the stakes of her campaign.

Crockett spoke at the inaugural Krewe of Porus Mardi Gras Ball at the Thompson Houston, a formal celebration launched by a Houston-based civic and social organization rooted in New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions. The event fused culture and community leadership and featured a performance by Mannie Fresh.

“We’re living in some of the darkest times that we have seen ever in this country, and that is saying a lot as a Black woman in America,” said the often outspoken congresswoman. But she quickly pivoted to a message of possibility. “I am also here to tell you that I am optimistic. I am optimistic about our future because our future includes each and every one of you.”

In her remarks, she warned against narratives of helplessness, rejecting the idea that communities most affected by policy decisions lack agency. “So far, they want us to be convinced that we’re helpless or that we should feel like we’re hopeless,” she said. “But the reality is that the power belongs to us.”

That power, she argued, is exactly what Texas leadership is trying to neutralize. Calling out Texas Governor Greg Abbott by name, she pointed to spending aimed at shaping outcomes in Harris County.

“There’s a reason that Governor Abbott has decided he is going to spend $90 million on Harris County alone in this election. Because he is afraid of your voices,” Crockett said. “He knows what you can do when you just come together and decide that enough is enough.”

The heart of her speech was a direct appeal, grounded in legacy and responsibility:

“So I’m asking you– I am pleading with you– to do what is right for future generations. It can’t just be about us in this moment. Each of us stands here as a product of those that came before us that were willing to risk their lives, and frankly, some gave their lives.”

She then emphasized what her own presence represents in politics, tying personal history to collective effort. “I am only the 4th Black woman to ever go to the House from Texas,” she said, referencing the United States House of Representatives. She continued, “I’m only the fifty-fifth Black woman ever to swear it into the U.S. House.”

Crockett made sure the audience understood those milestones as communal achievements, not individual mythology. “Let me tell you something, I didn’t get there by myself, nor did you get wherever you are right now,” she said. “So I ask you to dig deep and recognize that our ancestors’ blood runs deep in us and recognize what we can do when we just put our mind to it.”

Then came her clearest call to action, complete with dates. “So I am begging you, early voting is gonna start on February 17th. Election day is gonna be on March 3rd,” Crockett said. She followed with a message about scale and consequence. “This state has more Black people than any other state in this country. I’m gonna need them to feel the full force of Black voices in this state as they are trying to put us on mute.”

Her remarks came on the same day voters in parts of the Houston had cast ballots in a special congressional runoff, lending immediacy to her call for turnout in the weeks ahead.

She tied that urgency to the power of representation and gerrymandering. “That is exactly what this redistricting was about,” she said. “It was about putting our voices and our representation on mute. It is time for us to pull up, show up, and show out.”

The Krewe of Porus framed the evening as more than a social debut. It was a statement about culture, community, and civic responsibility showing up together, even in a tense moment nationally. Before leaving the stage, Crockett returned to the idea that power is not abstract or distant, but collective and immediate.

“The power belongs to us.”