U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett is a rising political star to watch

In an interview with theGrio's Natasha S. Alford, the first-term Democratic congresswoman from Dallas offers advice for anyone who wants to run for office.

Feb 10, 2023

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, may be a politician but she’s not in office for political games.

“I want to make an impact in my community,” says Crockett, who sits on the House Oversight Committee. “That is why I initially got into politics. I could care less for the actual political side of things, but I love people and I love doing everything that I can to make sure that people feel like they have a real and educated voice that will speak up for them.”

Crockett, 41, left a career as a civil rights attorney and public defense attorney to run for the state legislature, then the U.S. House of Representatives after former Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, 87, decided not to seek another term.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 31, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Committee met today for their first meeting of the 118th Congress to outline their agenda and vote on Committee rules. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Jan. 31, 202 in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“My congresswoman, who was a tender 87 years old, decided to retire and she thought that I should be the one to replace her. She asked me if I would consider running,” Crockett recalls.

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Crockett had worked to help protestors during the George Floyd demonstrations and Black Lives Matter movement and found even more inspiration for the work at hand. To any young person or political newbie who is considering a run for office, the congresswoman says there’s nothing to it but to get in the arena.

“Just do it,” Crockett tells theGrio. “Young people have been saving this country for a very long time. Most people don’t realize that MLK [Martin Luther King] was younger than I am when he was assassinated. Just think about how much he did in his short time on this earth. If you feel like this is what you want to do and you’ve got pure intentions, then go out and do it.”

(L-R) Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., watch on Feb. 7, 2023 as President Joe Biden arrives in the House Chamber to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

To catch the full interview with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, watch “TheGrio Weekly with Natasha Alford” at 2 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET (today) Friday on theGrio’s mobile app, Roku channel, and Amazon Fire channel.

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