Democrat James Talarico Projected to Win Texas Senate Race, Flipping Seat After 33 Years
Decision Desk HQ projects James Talarico will become Texas’ first Democratic senator in decades after a race shaped by record turnout and heavy outside spending.
- On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Democrat James Talarico held an early lead over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for Texas' open U.S. Senate seat as the first results began coming in.
- The most expensive non-presidential race in U.S. history, with $573.2 million in ad spending, could determine control of the Senate through the end of President Donald Trump's second term.
- More than 7.7 million Texans voted early, a 40.5% turnout rate reflecting efforts to break a three-decade streak of Democratic losses in statewide Texas elections.
- National GOP groups poured north of $281 million into an advertising blitz supporting Paxton, whom President Trump endorsed earlier this year to replace retiring Sen. John Cornyn.
- With most Election Day ballots still uncounted, the race remains too close to call as Democrats need to gain four seats nationwide to shift control of the upper chamber from Republicans.
263 Articles
263 Articles
CORNyn CONGRATULATES TALARICO: Texas GOP Civil War Hands Senate Seat to Democrats
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) congratulated Democrat James Talarico on his projected Senate victory over Attorney General Ken Paxton, capping a bruising primary fight that saw Trump endorse against Cornyn and Republicans lose a seat they've held for decades.
Who Is James Talarico? The Teacher Turned Seminarian Who Defeated Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Showdown
James Talarico has defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas' US Senate election, turning a campaign focused on affordability and tackling political corruption. The 37-year-old state legislator and former teacher won the race to succeed Republican Senator John Cornyn. The result makes him the first Democrat elected to a Texas US Senate seat since 1988, transforming his profile from a prominent state lawmaker into a national political figure. But b…
Elon Musk spent more than $200 million to support the Republican candidate, but it didn't get him much.
The former presbyterian teacher and seminarian, leading a campaign of love and populism, achieved a seat in the Texas state Senate.Democrat victories in Texas suggest significant electoral change, with a potential impact on future national struggles.
James Talarico Ends A 32-Year Democratic Drought In Texas After One Of The Most-Watched, Most Expensive Campaigns Ever
In perhaps the most-watched race in the 2026 midterm elections, Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Attorney General to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Talarico’s victory, overcoming GOP attacks and questions about his appeal to Black Democratic voters, ends a more than three decades-long drought for Democrats in statewide elections in Texas, cracking a GOP stronghold and potentially flipping control of the Senate. Talarico wins …
The seminarian took him away from Ken Paxton in the mid-term elections, taking an additional seat for the Democrats to the upper house of Congress.
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