Talarico cruised to victory against Ken Paxton, with the Associated Press calling the race late Tuesday. The outcome ends what had become one of the longest winning streaks in U.S. politics. Talarico is the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994. He is also the first Democrat to be elected Senator by Texans since 1988.
For many Texas Democrats, Talarico’s win is vindication in a longheld belief that demographics in that state were destiny. Democrats have argued for years that Texas wasn’t as Republican as election results suggested, but rather a state with so many non-voters that a Democrat could win with the right candidate and message. This cycle proved them correct, as early vote numbers matched the numbers during 2024’s presidential election and ran well ahead of the 5.1 million who voted early in 2022.
Read more: How James Talarico Made Texas Competitive Again
Republicans never quite figured out how to campaign against Talarico. Trump gave him the nickname “Talafreako”—which Talarico’s campaign embraced and turned into campaign merch. The persistent rumor that he was a vegan in meat-loving Texas ricocheted in the MAGAverse but photos of Talarico eating barbecue quickly dispelled that. In the race’s final days, no less than Vice President J.D. Vance offered a crude joke that Talarico is gay. (He is not.)
Republican strategists insisted that Cornyn would be in a far stronger position to hold the seat, particularly among fears of a blue-wave midterms. There were also concerns that Paxton would have trouble fundraising enough to match Talarico.
Trump at first refused to endorse either Cornyn or Paxton in the race. Once the primary went to a May runoff, he formally backed Paxton, all but ending Cornyn’s political career. So worried were Republicans about holding the Texas seat that they scheduled the highly unusual midterm political convention in the state to try to gas their base.
Paxton struggled with a clear message in the race. His tenure as the state’s Attorney General—once seen as a strength among a base that loved his fights against Democratic Administrations—became a liability as his accumulation of wealth during his years in public office drew allegations of cronyism. And he refused to debate Talarico, who pushed for such an event, even offering to let Fox News moderate it.
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