Millennial Senate candidates giving up safe seats to challenge Boomers for higher office.
Giving up safe seats, Democrats Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico and Republican Wesley Hunt are playing a shorter, riskier political game than their older rivals.Republican Senate candidate Wesley Hunt speaks at the Dallas County Republican Party offices, Monday, Jan.
12, 2026, in Dallas. Hunt is a U.S. representative from Houston.The Texas Senate race is a generational showdown. Millennials are storming a Boomer political stronghold and hoping voters are ready to trade long resumes for fast legs. Take Wesley Hunt, for example. The 44-year-old Republican congressman from Houston isn’t running against Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton as much as he’s running against time.Showtime for the ‘Lone Star Five’ as Texas Senate candidates charge into 2026As for the Boomers, Cornyn, 73, is seeking his fifth term as senator, and Paxton, 63, decided to try for higher office after three terms as state attorney general.Hunt is part of a crop of youth movement in both parties, testing whether Texans looking over the Senate field want experience or are eager for a handoff.Millennials already are king on the Democratic side. The two leading candidates vying for their party’s Senate nomination are U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 44, of Dallas, and state Rep. James Talarico, 36, of Austin. While the Senate contest may become a referendum on time, what’s clear is the nex-gen candidates are giving up coveted seats in Washington and Austin.That cohort is playing a shorter political game. For many, politics is a chapter, not a career, making even long-shot campaigns part of a broader professional arc.“There is a greater belief in not tying yourself down to one thing, keeping your options open and then pursuing new opportunities,” he said. “They are not afraid to take the leap, even though they are not 100% sure.” The younger contingent arrived at the 2026 Senate race by different routes, with backgrounds that hint at careers beyond politics:A criminal defense and civil rights lawyer whose work included police misconduct cases, she built a national profile through viral media moments that translated beyond politics. She won the 30th Congressional District seat in 2022, succeeding longtime Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing to investigate the remaining questions surrounding January 6, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. A West Point graduate who flew Apache helicopters in the Army, he is in his second term in the U.S. House and launched a Senate challenge over opposition from GOP leaders. He said he plans to use his MBA from Cornell University after leaving politics.: A former middle-school teacher who led a nonprofit aimed at improving education technology for low-income students, he’s a Presbyterian seminarian who could pursue the ministry. Known for viral social media moments, Talarico is in his fourth term as a state House member. Hunt, speaking to Dallas County Republicans , Hunt said he plans to spend about 12 years advancing President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda before leaving politics to focus on personal endeavors. “I’ll turn things over to the next generation,” Hunt said, drawing a joking shout of “ageism” from the room. State Representative James Talarico expresses his vision for the future as he recently announced he is running in the Democratic Primary against Colin Allred. Talarico made a campaign stop, which drew a large crowd of supporters to Deep Ellum Art Company, 3200 Commerce Street in Dallas, on September 18, 2025.Crockett is ubiquitous on TV and social media. Gov. Greg Abbott predicted she’ll become a host on ABC’sTalarico, already a social media favorite, also could leverage attention gained by his Senate campaign - win or lose. He’s already built a large following, blending his Christian faith into his messaging. That age debate isn’t unique to Texas, with the 2026 midterm elections shaping up as a moment of churn. As of last month, 58 members of Congress – 47 representatives and 11 senators – are not returning to Capitol Hill.The median age in the Senate is nearly 64.7, according to the Pew Research Center. Though nearly a quarter of the American population, only several members of the Senate are millennials.For candidates here, a Senate victory can instantly elevate stature. “You go from a back bencher in the U.S. House or Texas House to the toast of the U.S. Senate simply by coming from Texas,” Jones said.The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5's Lone Star Politics.Ex-TCU HC Gary Patterson ‘in contact’ with USC about DC gig, report says
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