James Talarico wins Texas Senate race in historic victory for Democrats

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Ken Paxton’s defeat a crushing blow to Trump and Republican efforts to keep control of Congress</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/nov/03/midterm-election-results-live-updates">US midterm elections – live updates</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/nov/03/midterm-elections-full-results-senate-house-governor-races">Track live results from all 50 states</a></p></li></ul><p>Democrat <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/15/texas-democrat-james-talarico-televised-town-hall-us-politics">James Talarico</a> has won the US Senate race in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/texas">Texas</a>, breaking a 38-year drought for his party in the Republican stronghold and delivering a stunning blow to Donald Trump.</p><p>Talarico defeated Republican <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/18/ken-paxton-texas-senate-scandal-midterms">Ken Paxton</a>, the state attorney general and a staunch ally of the US president, in one of the most <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/nov/03/midterm-elections-candidates-swing-states">closely watched contests</a> of the midterm elections to decide control of Congress.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/james-talarico-ken-paxton-texas-senate">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.