Sholdon Daniels is challenging Rep. Jasmine in Crocket in 2026. (Getty)
"So somebody has to stand up to that and God blessed me with the ability to do the job, and so I feel the responsibility to act right now," Daniels said.
Crockett has skyrocketed into the spotlight as one of the most outspoken critics of the Trump administration while routinely going viral, drawing the ire of conservatives on social media for her heated rhetoric.
Leading up to and after Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Crockett made several derogatory comments that earned headlines, including calling the president "Putin’s ho" and suggesting that he is attempting to bring Black people back into slavery.
Daniels told Fox News Digital comments like that are "utterly disrespectful" and "unbecoming of the office."
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Daniels, who enlisted in the U.S. Army as a communications specialist at the age of 18, told Fox News Digital that being a dad, husband, veteran, and "somebody that cares about the community" is what inspired him to run for Crockett’s seat because it doesn’t feel right to "sit around while people are trying to tear our country down."
"Becoming a dad and concern for my daughter and one of the issues surrounding biological males being allowed in restrooms and locker rooms and girls private spaces, and then biological males competing against girls in sports, that's when it hit home for me," Daniels said about his decision to run. "I have a five-year-old daughter who loves to play sports. I fully anticipate she's going to be an athlete, and I just want to pave a way for her to make sure that she's safe and that covers all other little girls in America."
If elected, Daniels told Fox News Digital he will bring "professionalism and decorum" back to the office while focusing on issues that his constituents care about.
"I'm going to focus on lowering taxes so that we can bring down the cost of living for Americans. We're going to focus on securing the border and supporting our president and his policy of keeping the border secure so that we can ensure safer communities here in TX-30," Daniels said.
"We are also going to focus on providing some support for small businesses and make sure that they get to keep more of the money that they earn in their pockets so that they can invest and hire more people. And then we're obviously going to focus on all the new revelations that are coming out with the DOGE effort to uncover the government waste, fraud and abuse. And we're going to try to hold whoever is responsible for that accountable."
Daniels has been active on social media, calling out Crockett, including a post challenging her to a debate next month.
Fox News Digital asked Daniels whether the voters in his district support DOGE's goals of slashing government waste, given Crockett's vocal opposition to the endeavor.
"There was a study that came out from the Congressional Management Foundation that found that 90% of voters want their representatives to be focused on policy and not social media, essentially on doing the job and not grandstanding for the cameras and that translates over into TX-30," Daniels said.
"People want a representative in 2025 that's going to provide tangible and effective change that they can see in their community. Gone are the days where we just elect someone out of TX-30 and set it and forget it, and we don't hear about them again until they're getting ready to retire."
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/meet-army-veteran-running-unseat-emerging-trump-resistance-leader-crockett-tearing-country-down