Democrat James Talarico wins Texas Senate race, ending 38-year drought

Talarico, 37, a Presbyterian seminarian, former middle school teacher, and state representative, overcame a Republican stronghold that Trump carried by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. No Democrat had won a Senate seat in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, and none had won any statewide office since 1994.

The result has major implications for control of the Senate, where Republicans were defending a narrow majority. It complicates Trump’s efforts to advance his agenda during the final two years of his presidency.

Talarico built his campaign around economic concerns, Christian faith, and a message of political unity, seeking to appeal to independents and Republicans disillusioned with the administration. He argued that the cost of living and the influence of wealthy donors mattered more to Texans than partisan divisions.

His campaign also sought to capitalise on controversies surrounding Paxton, 63, who as attorney general was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives in 2023 over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. He was acquitted by the state senate. Separate securities fraud charges were resolved in 2024 under an agreement requiring community service, ethics training, and restitution. Paxton denied wrongdoing.

Trump backed Paxton, and the attorney general defeated incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in a bitter primary contest.

The race became one of the most expensive Senate contests in US history, with advertising spending topping $500 million, according to campaign spending estimates. Republican-aligned groups poured hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to elect Paxton, including substantial funding linked to billionaire Elon Musk, who contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which transferred matching sums to a Super PAC supporting Paxton.

Talarico countered with a formidable fundraising operation, with his campaign reporting $64 million raised in the third quarter and 97% of donations under $100.

Republican advertising focused heavily on Talarico’s positions on transgender issues, his religious views, and his interpretation of scripture. Factcheckers have challenged claims made in some of the advertisements. Talarico portrayed Paxton as corrupt and argued that Republicans were attempting to distract voters from economic pressures, including rising fuel and everyday costs.

His victory represents a breakthrough for a party that had come close to winning Texas in recent elections, only to fall short on polling day. Among those disappointments was the 2018 defeat of Beto O’Rourke by Ted Cruz by a margin of just under 215,000 votes, or 2.6%.