Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang – YouTube screenshot, Jasmine Crockett – Official Portrait
Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang walked back comments they made about this year’s U.S. Senate race in Texas, after advising listeners not to “waste” money donating to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s campaign.
The gay comics made the remarks on the January 7 episode of their Las Culturistas podcast, during a wide-ranging discussion of left-leaning political figures — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — and the direction of a Democratic Party they described as increasingly rudderless ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Arguing that Newsom is not the best candidate to help Democrats reclaim the White House in 2028, Rogers leveled a barrage of criticism at the governor, taking aim at his repeated trolling of President Trump to boost his national profile and his decision to platform right-wing activists on his personal podcast.
Rogers next turned his attention to Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The Dallas-area congresswoman has become a rising star in some Democratic circles thanks to viral clips of her unabashed takedowns of Republican politicians.
“Don’t waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett,” Rogers said. “Do not do it. Don’t do it, you’re going to waste your money.”
“I must agree,” Yang replied.
Rogers then said Crockett couldn’t win in Texas.
“If Beto O’Rourke couldn’t do it, Jasmine Crockett is not going to do it,” Rogers said, referring to the former El Paso area congressman who came within two points of unseating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. “It’s nothing against her, it’s just that she is a politician, in that she is very well-defined already, and it’s my opinion that we’re going to need someone who is less defined at this moment that rises up.”
Rogers also argued that Crockett’s primary opponent, Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), would be harder for Republicans to demonize, citing Talarico’s willingness to speak openly about his Christian faith and advocate for a politics rooted in progressive Christianity.
In making that argument, Rogers revealed a shaky understanding of evangelical Christianity, why evangelical voters typically oppose Democratic candidates, and how Talarico’s religious views might actually resonate with Texas voters, offering what reads less as political analysis than a caricature of how secular liberals often view religious voters.
While some of Rogers and Yang’s criticisms of Newsom — and of the Democratic Party more broadly — are not without merit, the hosts opened themselves up to criticism by offering a shallow, underdeveloped take on electoral politics.
The distinctions between Crockett and Talarico — both of whom would be broadly characterized as liberals — are rooted less in ideology than in personality, presentation, and competing theories about how to win elections.
Crockett and Talarico have embraced two different — and equally legitimate — theories of how to win elections, though it remains unclear whether either approach can succeed in Texas.
Crockett’s campaign is focused on energizing nontraditional voters and boosting turnout among the broader left-to-center-left coalition that typically supports Democrats. Talarico, by contrast, appears to be pursuing a persuasion strategy, aiming to mobilize infrequent voters while appealing to swing voters and independents who may have soured on Republican politicians, including Trump.
Both Crockett and Talarico face steep odds in a Texas general election, where Democrats have struggled for years to assemble a winning statewide coalition. Even within Texas Democratic circles, opinion is divided between those who believe Crockett’s confrontational style could energize infrequent or disaffected voters and those who worry the same traits could limit her appeal in a conservative-leaning state.
Crockett’s strongest supporters have argued that Rogers and Yang’s dismissal of her candidacy touched a third rail of identity-based politics, interpreting the comments as an attempt to disqualify her based on gender and race. The charge has proven especially potent given the limited ideological distance between Crockett and Talarico and the fact that the two Democrats have yet to face off in debates where their policy differences could be more clearly defined.
Crockett defenders have also criticized what they describe as a double standard among white liberals, whom they view as granting white male Democrats greater latitude when it comes to defining political viability for a U.S. Senate contender.
“[Crockett] is not too well-defined,” transgender author Hope Giselle said in a viral Instagram video responding to Rogers and Yang. “What she is, is too unignorable, too competent, and too Black in public. She’s too woman while being ambitious, too clear about power, and the clarity that scares people who benefit from living in a fog. Because somehow, ‘defined’ only becomes a problem when the candidate is a Black woman or a Black person in general.”
At least one popular post on X claimed that Rogers’ and Yang’s remarks prompted the user to donate to Crockett’s campaign.
“I just made a donation to @JasmineForUS’ senate campaign. I am inspired by her fearlessness, selfishness, intelligence, and dedication to this crap pile of a country. You should too,” the user wrote. “Also, fuck Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.”
Pro-Crockett commenters flooded Rogers’ Instagram account, posting memes and GIFs of Crockett on unrelated posts and criticizing Rogers for dismissing the congresswoman’s candidacy.
Rogers later issued an apology on his Instagram Story.
“Hey everybody. I hear the response and I am taking every bit of it to heart, I promise,” he wrote. “Transparency and candor matter to me, especially on the podcast. I’m a very progressive person who cares deeply about winning these elections, but my phrasing was not right. I have great respect and admiration for Rep. Crockett, and I regret that my words suggested otherwise. I just want us to win and I will be better at finding ways to help.”
Yang reposted Rogers’ message on his own Instagram Story and added, “Should not have cursorily weighed in on this. Understanding the platform and will use it more responsibly.”
Erik Bottcher, the New York City Council member who represents some of the Big Apple’s most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhoods, has abruptly dropped out of the race for New York’s 12th Congressional District to pursue an open New York State Senate seat.
An openly gay Democrat, Bottcher drew early headlines even before officially launching his campaign. While running for reelection to his City Council seat in October, he filed paperwork to seek New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Midtown Manhattan, Chelsea, the Upper West Side, and the Upper East Side. The district’s longtime incumbent, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D), is set to retire at the end of 2026 after seventeen terms in office.
Five major LGBTQ groups have endorsed California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) in his bid for California's 11th Congressional District, currently represented by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement last month.
Among the organizations backing Wiener are The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization; Equality California, the state's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization; Equality PAC, the political arm of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus; the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which works to increase LGBTQ political representation; and the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.
Speaking at a House GOP retreat, President Donald Trump warned that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
"f we don't win the midterms, it's just going to be -- I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me," Trump said. "I'll get impeached."
Trump was first impeached in 2019, after Democrats regained control of the House during his first term, over allegations that he withheld congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government into announcing investigations into his political rival, former President Joe Biden.
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Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang walked back comments they made about this year’s U.S. Senate race in Texas, after advising listeners not to “waste” money donating to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s campaign.
The gay comics made the remarks on the January 7 episode of their Las Culturistas podcast, during a wide-ranging discussion of left-leaning political figures — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — and the direction of a Democratic Party they described as increasingly rudderless ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Arguing that Newsom is not the best candidate to help Democrats reclaim the White House in 2028, Rogers leveled a barrage of criticism at the governor, taking aim at his repeated trolling of President Trump to boost his national profile and his decision to platform right-wing activists on his personal podcast.
Rogers next turned his attention to Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The Dallas-area congresswoman has become a rising star in some Democratic circles thanks to viral clips of her unabashed takedowns of Republican politicians.
“Don’t waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett,” Rogers said. “Do not do it. Don’t do it, you’re going to waste your money.”
“I must agree,” Yang replied.
Rogers then said Crockett couldn’t win in Texas.
“If Beto O’Rourke couldn’t do it, Jasmine Crockett is not going to do it,” Rogers said, referring to the former El Paso area congressman who came within two points of unseating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. “It’s nothing against her, it’s just that she is a politician, in that she is very well-defined already, and it’s my opinion that we’re going to need someone who is less defined at this moment that rises up.”
Rogers also argued that Crockett’s primary opponent, Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), would be harder for Republicans to demonize, citing Talarico’s willingness to speak openly about his Christian faith and advocate for a politics rooted in progressive Christianity.
In making that argument, Rogers revealed a shaky understanding of evangelical Christianity, why evangelical voters typically oppose Democratic candidates, and how Talarico’s religious views might actually resonate with Texas voters, offering what reads less as political analysis than a caricature of how secular liberals often view religious voters.
While some of Rogers and Yang’s criticisms of Newsom — and of the Democratic Party more broadly — are not without merit, the hosts opened themselves up to criticism by offering a shallow, underdeveloped take on electoral politics.
The distinctions between Crockett and Talarico — both of whom would be broadly characterized as liberals — are rooted less in ideology than in personality, presentation, and competing theories about how to win elections.
Crockett and Talarico have embraced two different — and equally legitimate — theories of how to win elections, though it remains unclear whether either approach can succeed in Texas.
Crockett’s campaign is focused on energizing nontraditional voters and boosting turnout among the broader left-to-center-left coalition that typically supports Democrats. Talarico, by contrast, appears to be pursuing a persuasion strategy, aiming to mobilize infrequent voters while appealing to swing voters and independents who may have soured on Republican politicians, including Trump.
Both Crockett and Talarico face steep odds in a Texas general election, where Democrats have struggled for years to assemble a winning statewide coalition. Even within Texas Democratic circles, opinion is divided between those who believe Crockett’s confrontational style could energize infrequent or disaffected voters and those who worry the same traits could limit her appeal in a conservative-leaning state.
Crockett’s strongest supporters have argued that Rogers and Yang’s dismissal of her candidacy touched a third rail of identity-based politics, interpreting the comments as an attempt to disqualify her based on gender and race. The charge has proven especially potent given the limited ideological distance between Crockett and Talarico and the fact that the two Democrats have yet to face off in debates where their policy differences could be more clearly defined.
Crockett defenders have also criticized what they describe as a double standard among white liberals, whom they view as granting white male Democrats greater latitude when it comes to defining political viability for a U.S. Senate contender.
“[Crockett] is not too well-defined,” transgender author Hope Giselle said in a viral Instagram video responding to Rogers and Yang. “What she is, is too unignorable, too competent, and too Black in public. She’s too woman while being ambitious, too clear about power, and the clarity that scares people who benefit from living in a fog. Because somehow, ‘defined’ only becomes a problem when the candidate is a Black woman or a Black person in general.”
At least one popular post on X claimed that Rogers’ and Yang’s remarks prompted the user to donate to Crockett’s campaign.
“I just made a donation to @JasmineForUS’ senate campaign. I am inspired by her fearlessness, selfishness, intelligence, and dedication to this crap pile of a country. You should too,” the user wrote. “Also, fuck Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.”
Pro-Crockett commenters flooded Rogers’ Instagram account, posting memes and GIFs of Crockett on unrelated posts and criticizing Rogers for dismissing the congresswoman’s candidacy.
Rogers later issued an apology on his Instagram Story.
“Hey everybody. I hear the response and I am taking every bit of it to heart, I promise,” he wrote. “Transparency and candor matter to me, especially on the podcast. I’m a very progressive person who cares deeply about winning these elections, but my phrasing was not right. I have great respect and admiration for Rep. Crockett, and I regret that my words suggested otherwise. I just want us to win and I will be better at finding ways to help.”
Yang reposted Rogers’ message on his own Instagram Story and added, “Should not have cursorily weighed in on this. Understanding the platform and will use it more responsibly.”
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