On a November evening in 2026, as polls closed across the United States and the first returns began to glow on screens, a familiar cycle of democratic judgment unfolded once more. In Texas, a state that had not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994, voters chose James Talarico over Ken Paxton, and the nation read the result as a verdict on a presidency still shaping the mood of the country. Across governors' mansions, House districts and contested Senate seats, the same question hovered over every tally: whether a people, weary of costs and of an unsettled world, would hand power back to the
Democrats Make Gains in US Midterms as Talarico Wins Texas Senate Seat and Hochul Holds New York
"Well, Mr. President, you got your wish!"
Mark
Why does Talarico's win in Texas land so heavily?
Mimi
Because no Democrat had won statewide there since 1994. He ran on costs and on Paxton's corruption allegations, and he beat a Trump-endorsed candidate.
Luke
It matters, but one seat is one seat. Democrats still need a net four in the Senate, and the other key races were not yet reported.
Mark
Trump said he wasn't on the ballot. Is that true?
Mimi
Literally, yes. But he had told rally crowds to imagine they were voting for him, and Hochul quoted exactly that back at him.
Luke
Whether voters treated this as a referendum is the framing of the coverage and of Hochul's speech. The vote totals alone don't tell us why people voted as they did.
Mark
What about the redistricting?
Mimi
Figures in Alabama and Gonzalez in Texas both held seats that were redrawn to help Republicans.
Luke
Two districts are a small sample. Without the full House tally, I wouldn't call it a verdict on the maps.
Mark
And Jeffries?
Mimi
CNN projects a Democratic House with him as the first Black Speaker, but he isn't formally elected until January 3.
Luke
Right, that's a projection, and he still has to hold progressives and moderates together.
O Pulso
- A Democrat's win in Texas, a state long considered out of reach, sent a jolt through both parties on election night.
- Voters in Las Vegas waited up to two hours to cast ballots, and new in-person ballot rules stirred frustration and questions about access.
- Trump watched results from the East Wing and pushed back on the framing of the vote, insisting he was not on the ballot.
- Democrats are poised to retake the House, with Hakeem Jeffries set to become the first Black Speaker, yet progressives and moderates must be held together.
- The Senate hangs in the balance, with Democrats needing a net gain of four seats while several key races are still uncalled.
On a November evening in 2026, as polls closed across the United States and the first returns began to glow on screens, a familiar cycle of democratic judgment unfolded once more. In Texas, a state that had not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994, voters chose James Talarico over Ken Paxton, and the nation read the result as a verdict on a presidency still shaping the mood of the country. Across governors' mansions, House districts and contested Senate seats, the same question hovered over every tally: whether a people, weary of costs and of an unsettled world, would hand power back to the other side, or hold the line. The answer was still forming, and the wider story of who governs next remained open.
Polls were closing across the United States on Tuesday night when the first results of the 2026 midterms began arriving, and one of them came from Texas. James Talarico, a seminary student and state representative, defeated Republican Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general, a result that marked the first Democratic statewide win there since 1994. Talarico had campaigned on lowering everyday costs and on the corruption allegations against Paxton, while Paxton, backed by Trump, argued that his opponent's social positions were out of step with Texas voters.
The elections were widely treated as a referendum on Trump and his handling of the fallout from the Iran war, which had weighed on energy markets and household budgets. Other results followed quickly. Kathy Hochul won a second full term in New York, mocking the president in her speech after he had urged voters to treat the midterms as if he were on the ballot. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor of any US state, and in Ohio, physician Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy, the first Democrat to win that governorship since 2006. Republicans held ground in Arkansas, where Sarah Huckabee Sanders won a second term.
In the House, redistricting meant to protect the narrow Republican majority failed to unseat two Democrats it targeted, including Shomari Figures in Alabama and Vicente Gonzalez in Texas. CNN's Decision Desk projected that Democrats will take the House, with Hakeem Jeffries poised to become its first Black Speaker. Trump, watching from the East Wing, claimed he would have won in a landslide had he been on the ballot. In Nevada, long lines and a new in-person ballot rule drew complaints, while the Senate remained the open question, with Democrats still needing a net gain of four seats.
Polls were closing across the United States on Tuesday night when the first results of the 2026 midterms began arriving, and one of them came from a place Democrats have not won in decades. James Talarico, a Democrat, defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, according to the Associated Press. It is the first time since 1994 that a Democrat has won statewide office in Texas.
Talarico is a seminary student and state representative. He campaigned on lowering everyday costs and on revisiting the corruption allegations against Paxton, the state's attorney general. Paxton, who had President Donald Trump's endorsement, argued that Talarico's progressive positions on social issues were out of step with Texas voters. The result gives Democrats a boost in their effort to retake the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and Democrats need a net gain of four seats.
The stakes were set out plainly beforehand. In the 435-member House, Republicans held 218 seats and Democrats 214, with one independent and two vacancies; Democrats needed a net gain of three. Senate races in Texas, Michigan, Maine, South Carolina and Alaska were considered key. The elections were widely treated as a referendum on Trump, his administration's policies and its handling of the fallout from the Iran war, which has become a political and economic burden, partly through its effect on global energy markets.
Other results followed. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul won a second full term, comfortably beating Republican Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally. She used her victory speech to needle the president, who had urged voters to treat the midterms as if he were on the ballot. "Well, Mr. President, you got your wish!" she told the crowd. In New Mexico, Democrat Deb Haaland beat Republican Greggory D Hull and became the first Native American woman elected governor of any US state. A member of the Laguna Pueblo, she was formerly interior secretary and a member of Congress. Outgoing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was barred by term limits from running again. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech billionaire and 2024 presidential candidate, whom Trump backed. Acton, a physician who was the state's health director during the early Covid-19 pandemic, is the first Democrat to win the governorship since 2006.
Republicans held some ground. Sarah Huckabee Sanders won a second term as Arkansas governor over Democratic state senator Fred Love; the AP called it at 10:40 pm EST. She is a former White House press secretary under Trump and the daughter of Mike Huckabee, now the US ambassador to Israel.
In the House, redistricting pushed by Trump to protect the narrow Republican majority did not unseat two Democrats it targeted. Shomari Figures, an attorney and former Obama administration staffer, won a second term in Alabama's 2nd District over Rhett Marques despite boundaries redrawn to favour Republicans. In Texas's 34th District, Vicente Gonzalez, a five-term incumbent in the largely Hispanic Rio Grande Valley, beat Eric Flores, a former assistant US attorney and Texas National Guard infantry captain assigned to border duty. In Oregon, Senator Jeff Merkley, first elected in 2008, defeated David Brock Smith in an expected result. Merkley drew attention last year by speaking on the Senate floor for more than 22 hours in protest against Trump during a government shutdown.
Trump, watching results from the East Wing with advisers and Cabinet members, posted on Truth Social shortly after 10:30 pm: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter." That came after rallies at which he urged voters to imagine they were voting for him.
CNN's Decision Desk projected that Democrats will take the House, with Hakeem Jeffries poised to become its first Black Speaker. The 56-year-old New Yorker won an eighth term and will not formally take the role until January 3. In the coming weeks he must hold together newly elected progressives and moderates. In Nevada, meanwhile, voters in Las Vegas waited up to two hours, and in Washoe County more than an hour. Amber Falgout of the Institute for a Progressive Nevada blamed higher turnout and a new step requiring in-person voters to collect and submit their printed ballots.
The Senate remains the open question, with Democrats needing a net four seats and several contests still to be decided.
Citações Notáveis
I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!— President Donald Trump, on Truth Social
Well, Mr. President, you got your wish!— Gov. Kathy Hochul, victory speech
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Politics & Governance