Democrats win Texas US Senate seat and governor's office

In a state that had not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, voters on Tuesday elected state Representative James Talarico, who led Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by about 10 points — roughly 54% to 44% — with 94% of the vote counted as of 1 a.m. Central time, Courthouse News Service reported.

Texas also elected a Democrat as governor for the first time since 1990, when state Representative Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott about 53% to 46%, as part of a blue wave that swept the nation and left Democrats poised to control both the U.S. House and Senate.

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The double victory rewrites decades of Texas political history in a single night. Talarico was born in 1989 — a year after the state last chose a Democratic senator — and Hinojosa will become the first Latina governor in Texas history.

Talarico’s Senate Victory Over Paxton

Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, campaigned on fighting political corruption, curbing billionaire influence in government, cutting middle-class taxes, and improving education and healthcare. In his victory speech at the Long Center in downtown Austin, he framed the result as a rejection of moneyed politics.

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“We just took back Texas. We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love.” — James Talarico, victory speech

His opponent, Ken Paxton, had served three terms as attorney general. During that tenure he was indicted on felony securities fraud charges — dropped after a pretrial agreement — and accused by several of his own top deputies of bribery, abuse of office and corruption, claims the FBI investigated. Paxton called the probe a “bogus witch hunt,” and the Justice Department ultimately declined to prosecute. Paxton ran on advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda, including cutting taxes, securing the border, deporting undocumented immigrants, ending the “weaponization of government” and “draining the Swamp.” He conceded Tuesday night.

“I will commit that I will be praying for him, that he will do good for Texas and this nation.” — Ken Paxton, concession speech

Hinojosa Beats Abbott Despite a Massive Spending Gap

The governor’s race produced an even sharper financial contrast. Abbott, who has held the office since 2015, spent at least $281 million defending his seat, while Hinojosa’s campaign spent roughly $37 million, according to reporting from The Texas Tribune. Abbott’s platform centered on lowering property taxes, including a promise to let voters decide whether to abolish school district property taxes on homeowners’ residences — taxes that help fund public schools.

Democrats win Texas US Senate seat and governor's office

Hinojosa’s path into politics ran through her own children: when her son’s elementary school nearly closed because of state budget cuts, she ran for the Austin school board and became its president in 2015. She then ran for the Texas House, which she has represented since 2017. In her Austin victory speech, she pointed to the flood of attack ads funded by her opponent’s war chest.

“It never bothered me that they doubted me. It bothered me that they doubted us. Hundreds of millions on attack ads. But Texas, my faith in you never wavered.” — Gina Hinojosa, victory speech

What the Numbers Say About a Red State Turning

The gaps since a Democratic Senate win in 1988 and a Democratic governor in 1990 both closed on the same night, in the same state, against Republican opponents.