Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Texas Senate seat, projects Decision Desk HQ.
According to Decision Desk HQ, with 68% of votes counted, Talarico received 55.3% to Paxton’s 43%, marking the first time a Democrat has held the seat since 1988.
Talarico, a Democrat state representative from Austin, won the Democratic Party nomination in March, defeating Democrat U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Paxton won the Republican primary after defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the primary runoff.
🚨 BREAKING: Democrat James Talarico WINS the U.S. Senate race in TEXAS, DEFEATING Republican Ken Paxton, per DDHQ
Pray for our country tonight. We’re going to need as MUCH help from God as we can get.
Trump won Texas by about 14 POINTS in 2024.
This is a FIVE-ALARM fire for the Texas GOP.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 4, 2026
The contest drew national attention as Talarico sought to win statewide office in a state where Democrats have not won in decades. Polling throughout the contest showed that Talarico was consistently ahead of Paxton, with recent polling ahead of Election Day showing they were tied.
Talarico ran on numerous issues including making life more affordable for Texans by raising the federal minimum wage, allowing all Americans to enroll in Medicare, lowering housing costs, and providing property tax breaks for childcare providers. He also campaigned on school district homestead exemptions and tax relief for elderly and disabled homeowners.
BREAKING: In a stunning moment, Fox News just revealed how James Talarico is CRUSHING expectations and looks increasingly likely to flip TEXAS BLUE. Let’s go! https://t.co/P9K2wls0Us
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) November 4, 2026
Another issue he fiercely campaigned on was border security, insisting that he wants to strengthen border security, support law enforcement response efforts, maximize safety, and enhance infrastructure and road technology at the border.
Both issues raised questions from critics and Paxton’s campaign, as Talarico’s legislative record and past statements showed a stark difference from what he was campaigning on.
Paxton campaigned on multiple issues including affordability, where he introduced his “Protecting the Texas Promise” plan that would reduce taxes for homeowners and provide parents with a larger tax credit, alongside doubling the child tax credit to $4,400 per child under 17.
🚨 BREAKING: JAMES TALARICO (D) just defeated Trump-backed Ken Paxton (R) in the Texas Senate race, a historic Democrat flip from red to blue — VoteHub
Horrible news for America.
Horrible news for Texas. https://t.co/DoAbHcputY
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 4, 2026
Another big issue for Texans that Paxton touched on was securing the border, in which Paxton said he would fully support President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the southern border and fund Border Patrol agents with the tools necessary to stop illegal immigration.
In Paxton’s bid, he received multiple endorsements from Trump, 18 Republican U.S. representatives, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Talarico will now take over Cornyn’s seat and will serve a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.
Talarico will begin his term on Jan. 3, 2027.
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]
