# Talarico ends Democrats’ 38-year wait for a Texas Senate victory

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/james-talarico-wins-texas-senate-race-in-historic-victory-for-democrats/
- Published: 2026-11-04T15:17:20+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T15:29:21+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/james-talarico-ken-paxton-texas-senate
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Government, Politics, Software, Technology, World

## Key points

- James Talarico has flipped a Texas Senate seat for Democrats.
- The win ends a 38-year Democratic drought in Texas Senate races.
- More than $500m was spent on advertising in the contest.

## Summary

New results confirm Democrat James Talarico has won Texas’s US Senate race, defeating Republican Ken Paxton and ending a 38-year gap since a Democrat last won a Senate seat in the state. The upset is a major setback for Donald Trump and could affect control of the narrowly divided Senate, complicating his agenda for the final two years of his presidency.

Texas voted for Trump by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024, and Democrats had not won a statewide office there since 1994. Talarico, 37, is a state representative and former teacher who campaigned on economic concerns, Christian faith and political unity; Paxton, 63, had been impeached over allegations of corruption and abuse of power, but was acquitted. Advertising spending topped $500m, with Republican-aligned groups investing heavily in Paxton’s campaign.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: Talarico ends Democrats’ 38-year wait for a Texas Senate victory](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/james-talarico-ken-paxton-texas-senate)
- [Le Monde: 2026 midterms: James Talarico, the Christian Democrat who sent a political earthquake through Texas](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/11/04/2026-midterms-james-talarico-the-christian-democrat-who-sent-a-political-earthquake-through-texas_6771580_4.html)
- [Daily Mail: Anguished man screams 'No' at Ken Paxton HQ as Texas Senate race is called for Democrat James Talarico](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16264625/Man-screams-No-Ken-Paxton-HQ-Texas-Senate-race-called.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)

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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.