How Talarico Won Texas in a Historic Upset

4 min read

Democrat James Talarico won the United States Senate race in Texas on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. He beat Republican Ken Paxton, the state attorney general.

Key Points

James Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988.
Early returns showed Talarico ahead by about 20 points over Ken Paxton.
The race drew more than $570 million in ad spending, a record for a non-presidential contest.

James Talarico Wins the Texas Senate Race

The Associated Press called the race for Talarico on election night, National Public Radio (NPR) reported.

With about two-thirds of votes counted, Talarico had 59.4% of the vote. Paxton had 39%, according to an early count. Final numbers may change as counties finish counting.

The win flips a seat that Republicans held for decades. It also ends the party’s long hold on statewide offices in Texas.

Good to know. Early vote shares can shift as counting ends. Official totals come after counties certify results.

Why the Win Is Historic

Texas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly four decades. The last one was Lloyd Bentsen, who won his final Senate race in 1988.

Republicans had also not lost any statewide race in Texas since 1994. That detail comes from GV Wire, a news site in central California.

1988The last year Texas elected a Democrat to the United States Senate, GV Wire reported.

How Talarico Won

Talarico ran on affordability and education. He argued that wealthy donors and big companies have too much power in politics.

He also spoke out against pushing religion into public schools. For example, he opposed a state law that requires the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Paxton is a three-term attorney general and a close ally of President Trump. However, he faced several old controversies. The Texas House impeached him in 2023, though the Texas Senate later acquitted him.

Money also played a big role. Talarico led in fundraising for most of the year, according to NPR. Groups backing Paxton spent heavily on ads in the final two months.

Which issue matters most to you this election year?

Cost of living
Education
Health care
Something else

Who Is James Talarico

Talarico is a four-term state lawmaker from the Austin area. He is a former middle school teacher in San Antonio and a Presbyterian seminarian.

In 2018, he won a Texas House district that had voted for President Donald Trump two years earlier.

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A Record Year for Spending and Turnout

The race became the most expensive non-presidential race in American history. Ad tracking firm AdImpact counted $573.2 million in ad spending.

Voters also turned out in large numbers. More than 7.7 million Texans voted early, breaking a midterm record set in 2018.

Measure	Result
Talarico share (early count)	59.4%
Paxton share (early count)	39%
Ad spending	$573.2 million
Early voters	More than 7.7 million

Reactions

Senator John Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in the Republican primary, congratulated Talarico. “The voters have spoken,” Cornyn wrote on X.

In his victory speech, Talarico promised “a politics of love,” San Antonio news station KSAT reported.

What Happens Next

Talarico will join the Senate when the new Congress starts in January 2027. His win helped Democrats take control of the Senate this year. You can see the current list of Texas senators on the official Senate website.

Election details and official totals come from the Texas Secretary of State. Our guide to what the 2026 midterm results change for you explains the bigger picture.

Try this today. Check your county election office website to see final, certified results for your area.