Texas Democrats didn’t just win a race on Tuesday. They won nearly everything. James Talarico beat Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate, the first Democratic Senate win in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott, and Democrats were winning or leading the other statewide races, KUT reported.
“We just took back Texas,” Talarico told supporters. Abbott conceded on election night: “There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically, we’re not going to be able to win this election,” CBS News Texas reported.
Who won in Texas?
- Senate: Talarico beat Paxton about 55% to 43% with 99% counted. He replaces John Cornyn, who lost his primary to Paxton.
- Governor: Hinojosa beat Abbott, who was seeking a fourth term. She’ll be Texas’ first Latina governor and its first Democratic governor since Ann Richards.
- Lieutenant governor: Vikki Goodwin beat Dan Patrick about 51.7% to 45.7%, per the AP.
- Other statewide offices: Democrat Nathan Johnson won attorney general, and Democrats led for comptroller, agriculture and land commissioner and won a seat on the Railroad Commission.
How did Democrats flip Texas?
Turnout and prices. About 9.8 million Texans voted, a record for a midterm. Hinojosa ran on public schools and the cost of living, and Talarico ran against big money. Republicans spent heavily: Abbott’s campaign spent nearly $111 million on ads to Hinojosa’s $22 million, and Paxton’s side outspent Talarico’s about 2 to 1 in a race with $544.5 million in ads. Elon Musk alone put about $224 million into Texas.
“Here’s what Texas said today, loud and clear: Your government belongs to you,” Hinojosa said. Trump blamed Abbott, posting that he “wouldn’t have lost” if he “hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months.” Paxton said he’d pray for Talarico’s success.
What changes for Texans?
Less than the headlines suggest, at first. Republicans still hold the Texas Senate 19-12, so Democrats can’t pass their agenda on their own. But a Democratic governor has a veto, and a Democratic lieutenant governor runs the state Senate floor. Expect fights over school funding, abortion and property taxes, and an attorney general who won’t be suing Democratic administrations the way Paxton did.
The BeezLoop Take
Texas has been called a swing state for 20 years, and it never was until now. This happened because voters were angry about bills and a war, and Republicans answered with record spending instead of a message.
Democrats should be careful reading too much into one wave. Talarico won by about 12 points in a year when everything broke their way. Keeping Texas means delivering on schools and costs before 2028.
The open question: is this the start of a new Texas, or a one-time protest vote that swings back in two years?
More on BeezLoop: the NBC poll that showed voters souring on Trump.
Sources: KUT · CBS News Texas · KHOU 11 (video)
