Democrat James Talarico shook the national political landscape Nov. 3 by defeating Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate in deep red Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win that seat since 1988, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ and NBC News.
His win is one of the most significant flips in modern history after nearly a decade-long attempt by Democrats to win a Senate seat. The 37-year-old state legislator’s victory also puts the powerhouse Texas, which holds 40 electoral votes, the second most in the country behind California, in play ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
In the lead up to the Nov. 3 election, Talarico had a hold of a coveted voting bloc: Latino voters. Hispanic voters account for more than a third of Texas’
electorate, the second largest portion of any state behind New Mexico.
For years, Democrats hoped that Texas could be in play as the state grew more diverse. Charismatic Democratic Senate nominees, such as Beto O'Rourke in 2018, raised hopes of turning the state blue on the back of the Latino vote, only to see those hopes consistently dashed on Election Day.
But a majority of Hispanic voters in Texas, who had previously backed Democrats, voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. Trumpwon 55% of the Latino vote in the state, a 13-percentage-point increase from 2020, a record high for a Republican presidential candidate and a 27-percentage-point increase over 2016, according to data from theTexas Politics Project.
The Latino swing back towards Democrats powered the party's surge in 2026.
Talarico framed much of his campaign around a more populist-aligned economic message that urged Texans to stop looking at traditional liberal and conservative labels. Instead, he focused his message on fighting the super-wealthy, including Elon Musk, the world's richest person, who spent millions in favor of Paxton.
"Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator," Talarico said during an October rally in San Antonio.
Contributing: Arit John
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Talarico wins Texas Senate race in a massive flip for Democrats
