Democrat James Talarico wins U.S. Senate seat, ending GOP's 32-year Texas statewide ...

James Talarico Wins Texas U.S. Senate Seat, Ending Three-Decade GOP Monopoly

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the race for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, ending a three-decade Republican monopoly on statewide offices in Texas, according to reporting by Houston Public Media. The Associated Press called the election for Talarico at approximately 10:04 p.m. as he held 59.4% of the vote, and Paxton conceded the race about sixteen minutes later.

Speaking to a packed watch party in Austin, Talarico drew on themes of grassroots mobilization against heavily funded opposition. “We just took back Texas,” Talarico told the crowd. "We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas." A Democrat has not won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, making Tuesday's result a historic turning point for state politics.

FULL: James Talarico speech after Texas Senate victory | FOX 7 Austin

Talarico, a four-term state lawmaker and former San Antonio middle-school teacher, built his campaign around education issues and opposition to religious requirements in public classrooms. He gained broader visibility through a July 2025 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and a subsequent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Although CBS declined to broadcast the latter segment under pressure from the administration via the Federal Communications Commission, the interview went viral on YouTube, catapulting his national name recognition and fundraising.

The Path to the General Election

Ken Paxton entered the general election after defeating incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in a primary runoff earlier in the year, bolstered by a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump. Yet that alliance carried complications. With the president’s popularity dipping underwater, Trump’s active campaigning for Paxton at the September midterm convention in Dallas may have served as a drag on the ticket.

A man smiles after winning a senate race — Photo: kut.org

Paxton also faced persistent scrutiny over his past scandals. The Texas House of Representatives impeached him in 2023 over allegations of official corruption—though the Texas Senate ultimately acquitted him—and his campaign unfolded amid an ongoing divorce from state Senator Angela Paxton over alleged marital infidelities. Despite these headwinds, Paxton had never lost a race since first winning election to the Texas House of Representatives in 2002.

Conservative super PACs spent heavily in the final two months of the campaign to offset Talarico’s fundraising advantage, but the late-stage advertising failed to stem the tide. At a watch party in Dallas after the race was called, Paxton told supporters he would pray for Talarico’s success in representing Texas. “I walk away from this job in a couple months and the best part of it is the memories,” Paxton said, adding that he maintains many friends across the state.