Texas State Rep. James Talarico’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is being credited with propelling him to victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican John Cornyn.
With 97% of the vote now in, Talarico won with 52.8% of the vote, defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who received 45.9%.
The outcome stands in stark contrast to polling conducted shortly before Talarico’s late-night appearance. According to The Texas Politics Project, Crockett led the race with the support of 56% of likely Democratic primary voters, compared with 44% for Talarico.
As LateNighter has reported, Talarico had originally been booked to appear on Colbert’s CBS late-night show before the network’s lawyers reportedly put the kibosh on his segment amid concerns about federal equal-time rules. The move came after the FCC signaled it would be scrutinizing political candidates’ appearances on late-night programs.
Colbert addressed the standoff on-air, criticizing the decision before interviewing Talarico anyway. Rather than airing on CBS, the interview was released on the show’s YouTube channel—where it went on to become The Late Show’s most-viewed interview in more than three years.
The appearance is now being described as the latest example of the so-called “Colbert Bump”—a term that originated as a recurring joke on The Colbert Report but has since been used to describe real-world boosts in politics, publishing, and commerce tied to appearances on both of Colbert’s shows.
It’s not yet clear who Talarico will face in the general election. Incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are currently headed to a runoff to determine the GOP nominee.
More than a Colbert Bump, it’s a Brendan Carr Bump. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, millions fewer people would have seen the interview.