(WASHINGTON) — With just one month until the high-stakes primary election in the Texas U.S. Senate race, Democrats are butting heads, with Democratic State Rep. James Talarico pushing back on allegations that he made controversial remarks about the race of his former opponent.

Talarico on Monday responded to a video from former Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for Texas’ 33rd Congressional District, that Talarico made comments critical of Allred on the basis of race.

On Sunday, a TikTok creator alleged that Talarico, in a private conversation, said that Allred was a “mediocre Black man” and that he would would rather run against Allred than Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whom he allegedly called a “formidable and intelligent Black woman.” The TikTok creator, who had previously supported Talarico, posted that the conversation happened after a town hall in Plano, Texas, in January.

Talarico’s campaign told ABC News that the individual was never a member of the campaign team. Talarico has not denied the conversation took place, but has said it was taken out of context.

Talarico, who is white, is running against Crockett in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Allred had previously announced a Senate bid, but dropped out of the race to run for the House again, saying Crockett’s entering of the race contributed to his decision.

In a video posted on X Monday afternoon, Allred endorsed Crockett and criticized Talarico for his alleged comments.

Allred claimed that Talarico “had the temerity and the audacity to say to a Black woman that he had signed up to run against a ‘mediocre Black man,’ meaning me, and not a ‘formidable, intelligent Black woman,’ meaning Jasmine Crockett.”

Talarico pushed back on the claims, arguing that the allegations are “a mischaracterization of a private conversation.”

“In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race,” Talarico said in a statement posted to X by his spokesperson.

Talarico added that he “understand[s]” how his criticism could be perceived incorrectly “given this country’s painful legacy of racism,” but emphasized his deep “respect” for Allred.

Crockett reacted to the news, thanking Allred for his endorsement and praising him for being “an even-tempered and measured person who doesn’t engage in pettiness” — though she notably did not criticize her opponent or mention him by name.

“It’s unfortunate that at the start of Black History Month, this is what we’re facing. In former Congressman Colin Allred’s video, he drew a line in the sand. He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood,” Crockett’s spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.

Earlier Monday, Talarico appeared on ABC’s “The View” and emphasized his “deep love and respect” for Crockett, saying that he will “1,000 percent” support and assist her if she were to become the Democratic nominee over him.  The Democratic nominee would face off in November with incumbent Republican John Cornyn or one of his primary challengers, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.

While the allegations against Talarico were not discussed during his appearance on “The View,” he elaborated on his Senate campaign, calling for the overhaul of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and celebrating recent Democratic wins in Texas.

Reacting to the news of Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old asylum seeker who was released from a Texas detention center on Sunday, Talarico slammed the current tactics being deployed by ICE before demanding an overhaul and reorganization of the agency.

“It’s time to tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that is actually going to focus on public safety,” he said on “The View.”

Though Talarico has stopped short of explicitly calling for the abolition of ICE, he has repeatedly expressed a desire to reallocate funding while also maintaining border security.

Over the weekend, Democrats delivered an upset victory in the Texas Senate District 9, where Democrat Taylor Rehmet defeated President Donald Trump-endorsed GOP candidate, Leigh Wambsganss, and flipped the reliably red seat.

When asked about what he would do to win over the voters that Rehmet had flipped, Talarico emphasized that he is “not writing off any voter” or “any community.”

“I’m extending an open hand instead of a closed fist, and in my experience, if you extend that open hand, you’ll be surprised by who takes it,” Talarico said. 

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(WASHINGTON) — The Republican-led House on Tuesday voted to pass the government funding package to end the partial shutdown.

The measure, which received some bipartisan support, passed with a vote 217-214. It now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.

The measure provides funding for the Pentagon, Education, Treasury, Labor and State departments through the end of the fiscal year. The bill also includes a two-week short-term measure to keep Department of Homeland Security funded through the end of next week.

Earlier — after some drama and delay — the House passed a key procedural hurdle that set up the later vote, with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as the only no vote along with all Democrats. The vote was held open for about 45 minutes as several Republicans held out on casting their votes.

Republican leaders ultimately worked the holdouts to secure enough votes to advance the package.  

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who faces an incredibly tight margin, could only afford to lose one Republican vote with all members present and voting.

Johnson earlier Tuesday told reporters that he was confident the package, passed in the Senate after an 11th-hour deal between Senate Democrats and the White House, will pass.

“This may be hard for some of y’all to believe, but I never doubted this,” Johnson said at his weekly news conference Tuesday morning.

The agreement separated a Department of Homeland Security funding bill from five others funding other agencies for the rest of the fiscal year, and grants two weeks of extended DHS funding to negotiate Democratic demands for restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid its immigration enforcement operation, including requiring agents to wear body cameras turned on and to not wear masks.

The funding fight over DHS erupted in the aftermath of the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, who was killed in a shooting involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Johnson over the weekend that Democrats would not help Republicans expedite the funding package.

Meanwhile, hard-line Republicans also threatened to hold the package up in hopes of attaching an unrelated bill that would require a proof of citizenship in federal elections known as the SAVE Act. Though some hard-liners, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett, had backed down on their demands.

Trump said Monday that he has spoken to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle and expressed confidence in a resolution coming soon.

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