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Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Dead At Age 84; Jackson At 1988 Convention: "From A Great Quilt Of Unity"; Early Voting Starts Today In Heated Texas Senate primaries; Crockett: Talarico "Never Been Tested And Never Been Hit". Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired February 17, 2026 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: A civil rights icon, political force and master order. We remember the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson.

I'm Dana Bash. Let's go behind the headlines at Inside Politics.

We begin with tributes to the legendary Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away at the age of 84. Presidents, current and past, remembering Jackson today. President Trump called him a force of nature. Moments ago, President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said in a statement, Reverend Jackson never stopped working for a better America with brighter tomorrows.

Flags are being lowered at the State Capitol in Jackson's home state of South Carolina in his honor. He was hospitalized late last year and under observation for degenerative brain disease called progressive supranuclear palsy. His life began in the poorest of circumstances, as he told Democrats in 1988, I was born of a teenage mother who was born of a teenage mother.

He went from the Jim Crow Deep South to Chicago and then became an aide to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jackson was there at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis in April 1968 when Dr. King was assassinated on the balcony. Years later, Jackson formed people united to save humanity or push.

In the 1980s, he mounted two major campaigns for president. The most successful was 1988 with the help of his Rainbow Coalition, that's the year he delivered one of his most famous speeches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: In the end, faith will not disappoint. You must not surrender. You may or may not get there, but just know that you are qualified, and you hold on and hold out. We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: 20 years later in Chicago, you remember that moment, this iconic moment of Reverend Jackson with tears in his eyes watching Barack Obama's election night victory celebration. Even in his later years, Jackson was still engaged, participating in protests and standing up for others.

Today, Bernice King, daughter of Dr. King, posted this image of the two civil rights icons. And she wrote, both now ancestors. And in just last hour, Jackson's son, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr, spoke to my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, about his father's legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE JACKSON JR., JESSE JACKSON'S SON (voiceover): He called us to our authentic self, and I hope that people will see the genuineness into Jesse Jackson. It's hard for me to say it, because my father is now -- is now, it was and not, it is. But he gave it up. He gave it his all -- he gave it his all, and he reached out to everybody that he could -- that he could walk. He didn't care what color.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell from Alabama. Thank you so much for being here. Congresswoman, I'm sorry for your loss. I know that you knew Reverend Jackson quite well, and it has to do with where you represent and what you represent in Alabama.

REP. TERRI SEWELL (D-AL): Yes, you know, it's a sad day, but I also know that we were all so blessed to have Jesse Jackson senior as a part of this national -- international movement. You know, he was truly that testament of the power of activism, of moral clarity, and he challenged all of us, not just to keep hope alive, but he also challenged all of us to respect the dignity of every human being.

And so, his legacy will loom large. When I think about the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and those foot soldiers that marched across the bridge in my hometown of Selma, Alabama, I am reminded of the child that I was in my home church of brown chapel, when so many, especially Reverend Jackson would come back year after year after year with John Lewis and other foot soldiers to remind us that the vote is fragile and that it's precious and that we have to fight for it in order to keep it.

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And then when you think about the fact that it passed and now it's under threat, you know, I just continue to remember the leadership, the important compassion that this man gave to a movement, you know, whether it was fighting for the human dignity of every person, or for voting rights, or for civil rights or for human rights, he did so in a very personal way.

And in so doing, he not only was a protector and defender of the voting rights, he was truly, and became truly the example of what was possible with the voting rights his two-times bid for being a presidential candidate was so -- was so remarkable. It's because of that that we got Barack Obama. And I know that I stand as Alabama's first black Congresswoman, because of the power of his conviction and that mobilized African Americans and people all across this nation.

BASH: And Congresswoman, you talked about so much of his legacy in that lovely tribute just now. I wanted to zero in on the last part, the fact that you said that you are the first African American woman to represent Alabama and the House of Representatives. Can you talk about how he paved the way for black political power in this country?

SEWELL: Absolutely. As I said, I grew up in Selma and I grew up in Brown Chapel. And I will never forget singing in the child -- the church children's choir and hearing him give this impeachment. I am somebody. And I think that so many of us got a chance to either hear it live or definitely hear all the recordings about it.

And it just moved something in so many people of my generation to think that we could run for politics, so we could run for electoral office and actually win. And it was him who actually had the audacity to think that an African American man could be president of these United States.

And the fact that he ran twice for president and mobilized communities all across this nation, black, brown, white, he mobilized so many people, it is because of him that we got Barack Obama. And I know for me, I never thought sitting in the pew at Brown Chapel that I would grow up and be a part of electoral politics.

But you know, it was his -- it was his poise, his confidence, his belief that any and all of us belonged to America. And it was that kind of a testament that he embodied and that he really gave life and birth to, we wouldn't have black mayors. We wouldn't -- you know, the Voting Rights Act was so instrumental, but it needed an embodiment, and that embodiment came from Reverend Jackson.

And, you know, in later life became good friends with his children and saw him on a whole nother level as father as, you know, renowned preacher, as you know, motivator. He was just a remarkable man. And his legacy will loom large in American history and African American history, in this nation and in an internationally for the human rights fight that he -- that he also led.

So, you know, I think that he really understood that voting rights was a lifeline for our democracy and that -- and that we should never shy away from being -- from calling out injustice, wherever injustice lives. And so, you know, I think that so many of us owe our very being to him.

We stand on broad shoulders, the broad -- so many amazing ancestors, and now, now Reverend Jackson joins them as an ancestor, but he will always be an amazing legacy. And so, I just wish his family, you know, heartfelt condolences. I know that they're hearing from so many people all around the world. I just want to thank them for sacrifice, the sacrifices that family made in order for him to be this global leader and I know that he will rest in peace and power. BASH: What a beautiful tribute. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing that with us. Congresswoman, I appreciate it.

SEWELL: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you. And I'm joined here by a terrific group of reporters. Tia Mitchell, I'm going to start with you. Do you want to bounce off of what the congresswoman was saying?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yeah. I think it's interesting where she talked about being in the room where he gave some of his iconic speeches or repeated some of those iconic lines. And I'll say, as a young black girl growing up in the black church, we were instructed to say, I am somebody, you know. And my grandparents had, you know, a poster from Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign hanging on the wall for years afterwards.

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So, I grew up, knowing about Jesse Jackson from that his stature as a leader in the black community. And I think, you know, I think it's important for us to embrace him for all that he was. He did have a complicated life story. He did have some moments that I think even he, in retrospect, said he wasn't proud of or would have done differently.

But that creates a whole, complete man, and that is, I think, who we have to acknowledge and celebrate, including his political message and the fact that he was on the inner -- in the inner circle with Martin Luther King Jr. There's just so much to unpack, so much to celebrate, so much to learn. CNN just showed excerpts of some of those convention speeches. I encourage people to watch.

BASH: Guess what? They can watch it right this second, because I want to play part of his convention speech from 1988.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKSON: Democrats, we must build such a quilt. Farmers, you seek fair prices, and you are right, but you cannot stand alone. Your patch is not big enough. Blacks and Hispanics, when we fight for civil rights, we are right, but our patch is not big enough. Gays and lesbians, when you fight against discrimination and a cure for AIDS, you are right, but your patch is not big enough.

Pull the patches and the pieces together, bound by a common thread. When we form a great quilt of unity and common ground, we'll have the power to bring about healthcare and housing and jobs and education and hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The quilt and the coalition that he just described has been the Democratic Party since that moment.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely has, and that quilt actually came from his 1984 convention speech in San Francisco when he talked about the broad coalition of the Democratic Party. But look, when you consider the bridge that the Reverend Jackson was from being with Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968. 20 years later, delivering that speech. 20 years after that, Barack Obama being elected. No progress is not a straight line, but Reverend Jackson is a towering, consequential figure of 20th century American politics.

I mean, there is just no one who stands with him. And to your point, he did say in his speech, I'm not a perfect servant, but I'm a public servant. He acknowledged his shortcomings. There were many. He loved to -- he was a showman. By some, he was chased the spotlight. In fact, after the assassination of Dr King, he was running to be -- to basically assume that mantle, and it was not necessarily a smooth transition but his presidential runs first in 84 he was a protest candidate. In 1988 a serious candidate.

And the reason that people say that Barack Obama would not have been elected without him, it's because of what changed with how Democrats elect their nominees. It went away from the winner take all, smoke filled rooms at conventions to delegates and grassroots support, and that is how Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in 2007 and 2008 by winning that grassroots support.

So yes, there were a lot of tensions between the Jacksons and President Obama, most of which have been reconciled over the years. They had a meeting not that long ago as last year, but there is no doubt that without Jesse Jackson, without -- what he did to the party, that President Obama would not have been elected in 2008.

BASH: So, so true. I'm glad you brought all that up, especially the delegates. Kristen, President Trump has weighed in, as he is want to do. He said Jesse was a force of nature, like few others before him. He had much to do with the election, without acknowledgement or credit of Barack -- You know, Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand.

OK. Well, the first part is really on a day that this man passed away, is what I want to focus on for a second with you, because it is interesting that then private citizen Donald Trump and Jesse Jackson had a genuine relationship --

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They had the relationship in a long-term relationship. I mean, they he stayed in touch for quite some time, and publicly, Jesse Jackson, on a number of occasions, praised President Trump, now President Trump for his help in giving the office space for the Rainbow Coalition, for his work to take place in, and so it is interesting to see President Trump step out there.

And most of what we see nowadays, in terms of President Trump saying anything about anyone who has passed, is generally pretty negative. If they weren't somebody who is an avid supporter of his, but the first part of this clearly shows the relationship that they had back then. I will also just note that President Trump can't stand making anything, not about himself, which is where this went almost immediately afterwards, particularly given the fact that he is still reeling over the fact that he posted this video. He was called racist clearly it is still living rent free in his mind that people are saying this about him, using this as an opportunity to make it about himself.

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BASH: Right. I don't know that it's President Obama's fault that that was posted on President Trump's social media handle. But let's go back to politics here, and what is happening today, a pivotal Texas Senate race, actually two primaries happening. And it is a topic where President Trump is actually not weighing in. We'll explain after the break.

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BASH: Early voting is beginning today in Texas, Democrats and Republicans are going to go to the polls in Senate primaries. Both parties have heeded close, personal contests. And the candidate that emerges on either side will shape really how competitive this race will be in the fall. President Trump's endorsement would probably be a big decider in the three-way Republican race. Incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn is fighting challenges from the right. Listen to what the president said though yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I just haven't made a decision on that race yet. He's got a ways to go, and I have it. He's a good man. John is a good. I like all three of them. Actually, I like all three. Those are the toughest races. They've all supported me. They're all good, and you're supposed to pick one. So, we'll see what happens, but I support all three.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: In another sign of just how crucial this race is, Stephen Colbert slammed CBS his employer last night for pulling his interview with Democrat James Talarico. Colbert said the network feared new FCC rules over political appearances on late night. Now, Talarico is in a close contest on the Democratic side with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Our panel is here now. Let's just start on the GOP side. Jeff Zeleny, and I'm going to start. There was a brand-new ad or closing ad this morning from Republican Wesley Hunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. WESLEY HUNT (R-TX): In 2004, I graduated from West Point and joined the army. By then, John Cornyn had already been a politician for 20 years. Now John Cornyn is spending millions lying about me in a desperate attempt to stay in office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And here's Ken Paxton at a campaign event in Tyler.

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KEN PAXTON, (R) TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: To start off with voter integrity, to make sure that, you know, this mail in ballot scheme doesn't continue in other states that we have photo ID across the country. I care a lot about judges. I think John Cornyn has not done a good job, picking federal judges, and I know that because I have to go up against them.

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BASH: As for John Cornyn, he put out on social media this morning, early voting is open. I'm proud of my 99 percent voting record with President Donald Trump.

ZELENY: Look, I mean, this is Exhibit A of how President Trump has been much more selective in races, of endorsing or not endorsing, and he clearly does not want to get on the wrong side of his base here. But it also shows that Senate Republican leadership, John Thune, the majority leader, and others, have begged the White House to get in on this, to weigh in on this race because it's costing them millions that could be spent on other races.

So, the reality here by the president saying last night that he doesn't want to get involved. He's not sure exactly who's going to win, and he doesn't want to sort of put half of his base or upset them. But John Cornyn needs the president's endorsement, but that generational add in message from Wesley Hunt, so interesting. But look, they're trying to avoid a runoff that's almost impossible to do at this point. One of them would have to get 50 percent plus one in a three-way field, tough to do without an endorsement.

HOLMES: Yeah. And by the way, this is much closer than they thought it was going to be originally. Even Trump's own administration was saying, we don't really need to get involved. We don't need to weigh in. Cornyn will win. You have Chris LaCivita who run -- who ran Trump's campaign, now working for John Cornyn. He's advising that campaign.

So, it's not just Thune who is out there begging, it's also his own previous team who is trying to get President Trump to jump on board. Now one thing to -- that is clear is President Trump is right. I mean, all three of these people have stood by him, not -- even not as much John Cornyn as the other two have. Wesley Hunt was all over the campaign trail, supporting him.

We know Paxton has said he is an avid, Trump supporter. You can tell just right there. One of his main issues is election integrity. That itself is just pandering to Donald Trump. But it is quite interesting because one of the big things you're hearing here is this idea that Hunt or at least Paxton in particular, couldn't win a general election in Texas, which is a real, real issue there. BASH: And it depends on who they're running against on the Democratic side. We just heard a lot about the controversy about Stephen Colbert and Talarico. He is running as a more moderate Democrat, which, I mean, I guess in some ways makes sense if you're running in Texas. Jasmine Crockett is running a -- and keeping in character a very non- traditional campaign against Talarico. I spoke with her yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): Now they want to say that I can't win, but the reality is that the numbers don't suggest that and no one is putting numbers behind this. All they're doing is thinking a lot of money into a candidate who has never been tested and never been hit.

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MITCHELL: I mean, I think just like on both sides, the candidates will matter and the match up will matter. So, Jasmine Crockett knows she does OK according her internal polling, pretty good, I would say, against like a Paxton, but it would be harder in a match up against the incumbent, quite frankly.

And Republicans know that which is why John Thune and others have said, we need to get Cornyn on the ballot because we're concerned. Wesley Hunt, I think, is a little bit more unknown. I personally think it's between Paxton and Cornyn, but I guess we'll see what happens in a couple of weeks.

But again, I think Jasmine Crockett really wants to reinforce that she can win, but I think her team also will admit she can win, depending on who's the Republican that she would be up against.

BASH: All right. Where can you find a who's who of potential presidential primary contenders two years before an election? It's actually not Iowa this time around, or at least not this year. A new city, not even in the U.S., seems to be emerging.

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