Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a rising star within the party who has built a reputation as one of President Trump’s fiercest critics in Congress, has joined the race for the U.S. Senate in Texas. She is seeking to unseat Republican Sen. John Cornyn and provide Democrats a critical victory in their pursuit of flipping the Senate in next year’s midterms.

“Today, under Trump and three decades of Republican rule in Texas, those very Texans are under daily attack,” Crockett wrote on her campaign website. “I’m running to protect Texans from these attacks and safeguard the rights our Constitution guarantees.”

Her decision comes just hours after Colin Allred, who led Democrats’ unsuccessful bid to oust Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, announced that he is dropping out of next year’s race.

Allred, who lost to Cruz by more than 8 points last year, didn’t mention Crockett in his statement explaining his decision to drop out of the race. But he did make the case that a “bruising” Democratic primary could undermine their chances of ousting Cornyn in the general election, arguing that his party will need to be “unified” if it stands a chance at pulling off an upset in November.