# Even Anti-Trans Panic Couldn’t Save Republicans in Deep-Red Texas

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/even-anti-trans-panic-couldnt-save-republicans-in-deep-red-texas/
- Published: 2026-11-04T04:15:35+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T05:53:57+00:00
- Original publisher: The Intercept (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://theintercept.com/2026/11/03/james-talarico-ken-paxton-texas-results-trans/
- Topics: Elections, Politics

## Key points

- James Talarico won Texas’s Senate race against Ken Paxton.
- Anti-trans adverts drew attention but did not secure a Republican victory.
- Democrats also won the Texas governor’s race.

## Summary

James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in a landmark Texas Senate race, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa also beat incumbent Governor Greg Abbott. The results show that a Republican campaign centred heavily on attacks about transgender rights was not enough to keep Democrats from winning in a state without a Democratic senator since the 1990s.

Republicans spent $78 million on anti-trans advertisements in Texas, nearly half of the ad spending supporting Paxton, according to an analysis cited in the article. One $29 million advert, funded by a PAC primarily backed by Elon Musk, falsely claimed Talarico supported jailing parents who opposed gender-affirming surgery for minors; it had reportedly received 1.9 billion views by October. Voters and canvassers said these claims raised concerns, though many voters in Black districts that helped Talarico win barely mentioned him.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.