James Talarico Defeats Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Upset

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Nov 4, 2026

James Talarico Defeats Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Upset

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a historic Senate victory, ending a decades-long Democratic drought in statewide Texas elections. The expensive contest was seen as a major blow to Donald Trump and the GOP.

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liberal

James Talarico wins Texas Senate race in historic victory for Democrats

Jubilant Talarico says ‘Tonight we defeated Goliath’ as Ken Paxton defeat a crushing blow to Trump and Republicans

3 hours ago

conservative

Paxton swept away by blue wave after most expensive Senate race on record

Texas has rejected Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton at the ballot box on Tuesday and voted to seat Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate.Talarico is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in Texas since 1988.The Trump-endorsed Republican ... grossly underperformed in various counties ... where President Donald Trump at the very least secured healthy majority support in 2024.Paxton, who beat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary runoff, was trailing Talarico 59.4%-39% when AP called the race for his liberal opponent — a call that came after the Decision Desk HQ and NBC News dubbed Talarico the victor.The Trump-endorsed Republican, who was dogged by numerous scandals during the campaign, grossly underperformed in various counties — such as Collin, Denton, Jefferson, and Webb — where President Donald Trump at the very least secured healthy majority support in 2024.A White House official told Fox News' Peter Doocy, "Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves."This defeat comes after a closely watched race in which recent polls showed Talarico leading by up to seven percentage points.RELATED: America doesn't need a Jesus made in our political image RONALDO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty ImagesTalarico, whose ally Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) won the governor's mansion, mopped up the vast majority of early in-person votes and mail-in votes, according to NBC News.Talarico rebranded himself as a moderate on the campaign trail.For example, he posed with meat after previously clutching pearls over animal welfare and the impact of meat consumption on "climate change"; walked back some of his more radical theological claims such as "God is nonbinary"; and masqueraded as a "border security Democrat" despite repeatedly voting against border and immigration security measures.Talarico — whom White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller dubbed the "first transgender Senate candidate" — was evidently able to convince some Texans of his election-time conversion. He certainly won over members of the Bush family.Texas' 2026 U.S. Senate race was the most expensive non-presidential race on record, according to AdImpact. Over $407 million was reportedly spent on ads and reservations in the general Senate election — and Republicans outspent Democrats $140.7 million in vain.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

5 hours ago

liberal

James Talarico Wins Texas 2026 Senate Election, Flipping Seat for Democrats

Updated on: November 4, 2026 / 12:09 AM EST / CBS News

6 hours ago

conservative

'The voters have spoken': Cornyn congratulates Talarico after Paxton defeat in Texas

Sen. John Cornyn quickly congratulated Democrat James Talarico, whose win over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton handed the man who ended Mr. Cornyn's Senate career a loss of his own.

5 hours ago

conservative

Democrat James Talarico triumphs over GOP’s Ken Paxton in stunning Texas Senate upset

DALLAS — Democrat James Talarico has flipped Texas’s Senate seat blue after defeating Republican nominee and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, marking the first time since 1988 that a Democrat has won such a race in the Lone Star State.

6 hours ago

conservative

Talarico beats Paxton, ending Democrats' Texas 30-year drought in statewide elections

James Talarico scored a long-awaited win for Democrats in Texas, notching a victory over Republican Ken Paxton in the high-profile Senate race that shattered spending records.

6 hours ago

conservative

Trump's gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset

James Talarico flipped Texas' Senate seat for Democrats after Trump's backing of Ken Paxton backfired amid corruption allegations and a GOP schism.

7 hours ago