Democratic State Representative James Talarico has won the US Senate race in Texas, defeating President Donald Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton, according to media projections, and ending the party’s 32-year losing streak in statewide elections.
The victory marks a major breakthrough for Democrats in a state long dominated by Republicans and provides a significant boost to their efforts to take control of the US Senate.
Trump carried Texas by 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Paxton, the state’s attorney general, has faced several controversies, including his impeachment in 2023 and a securities fraud case.
Talarico, a four-term state legislator and one of the country’s leading Senate fundraisers, overcame substantial spending by outside groups to secure victory in the most expensive Senate race of the election cycle.
He initially entered the Democratic primary as an underdog against former US Representative Colin Allred, the party’s 2024 Senate nominee, who later withdrew from the contest to run for Congress again.
Talarico subsequently defeated US Representative Jasmine Crockett to secure the Democratic nomination, dealing a political setback to his former colleague in the Texas legislature.
Republicans spent more than $316 million in their efforts to retain the Senate seat.
The contest followed a Republican primary runoff in which incumbent US Senator John Cornyn lost after Trump endorsed Paxton. Republican leaders had considered Cornyn the stronger candidate for the general election.
Paxton also used his position as Texas attorney general to file more than 100 lawsuits against former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Republicans entered Tuesday’s elections with a 53-47 majority in the Senate, while Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control of the chamber.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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