Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jasmine Crockett is pushing back hard against a recent independent poll that shows her trailing fellow Democrat James Talarico, calling the survey “deeply flawed” and insisting the race looks very different when viewed through other data.

In an interview with CBS News Texas, Crockett criticized a poll conducted by Emerson College Polling in partnership with Nexstar Media that found Talarico leading 47 percent to 38 percent. Crockett said the results were an outlier and did not reflect the broader landscape of the primary.

“I do believe that according to all polls, except for that one, that I am in the lead,” Crockett said, while adding that the only poll that ultimately matters is the Democratic primary itself on March 3.

Her campaign quickly released an internal poll conducted by HIT Strategies showing Crockett ahead by 13 points, 46 percent to 33 percent. According to her campaign, that survey found her leading Talarico across all major demographic groups.

Crockett framed the race as a test of who can both reassemble the Democratic base and expand the electorate in November. She argued that turnout — particularly among voters of color — will determine the party’s success in Texas.

“The state of Texas is a majority-minority state,” Crockett said, noting that 61 percent of residents are people of color. “But when we look at who is actually turning out to vote, it is Black and brown folk that are not showing up to the polls.” She said African American voters overwhelmingly support her and that she remains ahead with Latino voters, despite Talarico’s recent investments in Spanish-language outreach.

The Talarico campaign recently launched a Spanish-language television and social media blitz. Earlier this month, Talarico told CBS News Texas that electability in November is the defining issue of the primary.

“I think it’s the central question this primary: who can win in November?” Talarico said. “If we don’t win, we can’t help people.”

Crockett said she agrees with that premise but believes excitement and base turnout are the real measures of electability. Pointing to recent national elections, she argued that Democratic losses often come when core voters stay home.

She also leaned heavily on her résumé, arguing that experience matters in a federal race. Crockett is the only candidate in the contest with both state and federal experience, a distinction she said should not be overlooked.

“There’s only one person in this race that has both state and federal experience, and that’s me,” she said.

Crockett also referenced John Fetterman as a cautionary example, arguing that voters sometimes do not fully know how candidates will govern once they reach Washington.

“You know exactly what you’re going to get with me,” Crockett said.