In the wake of U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett’s announcement that she is running for U.S. Senate in Texas, a familiar political ritual has resurfaced. From the right and so-called “moderates,” we hear that she is too outspoken, too sharp, too unwilling to play to the center—and therefore “can’t win” in red Texas. From some on the left, particularly progressive influencers, she is criticized for not going far enough or loudly enough in condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza.
This pile-on feels eerily familiar—and dangerously short-sighted.
We heard the same arguments about Kamala Harris. Progressives tore her apart for not being perfect, particularly on foreign policy and Israel, while moderates insisted she needed to soften herself to appeal to the center. And what did that strategy deliver? Donald Trump—and a world where conditions for Palestinians worsened, immigrants were terrorized, voting rights were attacked, and Black and brown communities were further marginalized.
The truth is uncomfortable but necessary: perfection politics helped usher in outcomes far worse for the very people critics claim to defend.
What is happening now with Jasmine Crockett is a replay of that same destructive cycle. The demand for an ideologically flawless candidate—one who passes every purity test while also magically winning over MAGA voters—ignores political reality and actively undermines democracy, particularly in states like Texas where anti-democratic forces are already working overtime to suppress votes and rig outcomes.
As a two-time cancer survivor, I don’t have the luxury of treating politics as a theoretical exercise. I am already feeling the consequences of reactionary governance: cuts to food assistance, threats to health care, and rising monthly costs that put basic survival at risk. These are not abstract debates for millions of working people—they are life-and-death issues. We cannot afford to “burn down” imperfect allies while waiting for a savior who checks every ideological box.
