Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas’s U.S. Senate election on Nov. 3, flipping a seat and giving Democrats their first statewide win in the state in more than 30 years, according to the Associated Press.
The result is a major shift in a state where Republicans have held a dominant position. Texas had not elected a Democratic senator since 1988. Talarico’s victory followed a campaign built around what he called the “politics of love,” and a challenge to the state’s Republican establishment.
At a watch party in downtown Austin, supporters cheered as the race was called. Talarico, 37, a former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian, cast the contest as a fight against powerful political and financial interests.
“In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington DC establishment,” Talarico said in his victory speech.
Unofficial totals show Talarico ahead
Texas’s election results portal showed Talarico with 3,597,914 votes, or 54%, and Paxton with 2,947,775 votes, or 44.3%, in figures updated on Nov. 4. The totals were unofficial, with 6,660,944 votes listed in the Senate contest.
Talarico’s win does not mean he takes office immediately. The term of Republican Sen. John Cornyn ends Jan. 3, 2027, when the next Senate term begins. The Texas Secretary of State’s schedule sets the state’s final canvass period for Nov. 21 through Dec. 7.
Clayton Ward 
Nicole French