Talarico wins Texas Senate seat, ending 38-year Democratic drought

Democrat James Talarico has won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and ending a 38-year losing streak for his party in the state.

Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. No Democrat had won any statewide office there since 1994. Texas, the country’s second-largest state, voted for President Donald Trump by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

The result has implications for control of the Senate, where Republicans were defending a narrow majority, and for Trump’s efforts to advance his agenda during the final two years of his presidency. Democrats had repeatedly fallen short in statewide Texas races, including Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 Senate loss to Ted Cruz by just under 215,000 votes, or 2.6 percentage points.

Talarico, 37, is a state representative, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian. He campaigned on the cost of living, economic inequality, Christian faith and political unity, seeking support from independents and Republicans disillusioned with the administration. He argued that wealthy donors wield too much influence and that economic pressures matter more to Texans than partisan divisions.

Paxton, 63, emerged from a bitter Republican primary after Trump endorsed him over incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Talarico’s campaign highlighted controversies involving Paxton, whom the Republican-controlled Texas House impeached in 2023 over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. The state Senate acquitted him. Separate securities fraud charges were resolved in 2024 through an agreement requiring community service, ethics training and restitution. Paxton denied wrongdoing.

Advertising spending in the Senate contest topped $500 million, according to campaign spending estimates cited by The Guardian. Republican advertising targeted Talarico’s positions on transgender issues, his religious views and his interpretation of scripture. The Guardian reported that fact-checkers challenged claims in some of the ads. Talarico accused Republicans of trying to divert attention from rising fuel and everyday costs.

The Guardian reported that billionaire Elon Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which transferred matching sums to a super PAC supporting Paxton. Al Jazeera put Musk’s spending in support of Paxton at at least $212 million. Talarico’s campaign reported raising $64 million in the third quarter, with 97% of donations under $100.

Texas Democrats also won the governor’s race, according to Al Jazeera, which reported that Gina Hinojosa prevailed in a contest considered a long shot even in its final days. Hinojosa becomes the state’s first Latino governor; Latinos make up 40% of its population.

At a Houston election watch party, Democratic U.S. Representative Christian Menefee told supporters, “Tonight, Texas has restored the hope of a nation.” Taylor Bell, a 27-year-old law student at the gathering, called Talarico’s win “historic” and said he hoped to see “money coming back to the people of Texas.”