On a November night in Austin, a young Democrat who once taught middle school and studies for the ministry unseated a Republican attorney general in a state that had not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly four decades. The victory of James Talarico over Ken Paxton breaks a long pattern in which Texas Democrats came close and then fell short, and it arrives at a moment when a president's agenda rests on a narrow congressional majority. It is a reminder that wealth can buy enormous reach, yet voters still weigh their own economic worries, faith and sense of who holds power.
Talarico Defeats Paxton in Texas Senate Race, Ending Democrats' 38-Year Statewide Drought
All the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.
Mark
Why does this one race carry so much weight?
Mimi
Texas hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since Bentsen in 1988, and no Democrat has won statewide since 1994. Trump won it by nearly 14 points in 2024. That's a long streak ending.
Mark
How did Paxton become the nominee?
Mimi
He beat John Cornyn in a bruising primary. The reporting says his nomination helped Talarico with Republican and independent voters, given the impeachment and the fraud case.
Luke
Careful there. The impeachment ended in acquittal by the state senate, and the securities fraud charges were resolved with an agreement, with Paxton denying wrongdoing. The claim that his nomination boosted Talarico is the reporting's assessment, not a measured number.
Mark
And the money?
Mimi
Ad spending topped $500m, with hundreds of millions from Republican-aligned groups, including funding linked to Musk. Talarico raised $64m in the third quarter, 97% in donations under $100.
Luke
The $500m is an estimate from campaign spending trackers. And the Musk link is described as funding linked to him. Talarico accuses him of trying to buy a seat, but that is Talarico's framing.
Mark
What about the attacks on Talarico?
Mimi
Ads on transgender issues and his faith, Trump's nickname, Vance's implication about his sexuality, and a false rumor about a clinic stay. He had the flu.
Luke
Several of those are documented as false, and factcheckers challenged some ads. What we don't know is how much any of it moved voters. The piece gives no margin or exit-poll breakdown.
Mark
So what can we say about why he won?
Mimi
Only that his campaign focused on costs, faith and donor influence, and he won. Groups like Voto Latino credit young Latino voters, but that is their reading.
El Pulso
- A race that cost more than half a billion dollars in advertising ended with a Democrat claiming a seat no one in his party had won since 1988.
- Personal attacks on faith, scripture and rumored health issues flooded the airwaves, and fact-checkers scrambled to correct them.
- Musk-linked money poured into Paxton's campaign while Talarico's side answered with a flood of small donations averaging under a hundred dollars.
- The outcome lands as a jolt to Trump and Senate Republicans, who now face a tighter majority and must rethink their strategy for the remaining midterm races.
On a November night in Austin, a young Democrat who once taught middle school and studies for the ministry unseated a Republican attorney general in a state that had not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly four decades. The victory of James Talarico over Ken Paxton breaks a long pattern in which Texas Democrats came close and then fell short, and it arrives at a moment when a president's agenda rests on a narrow congressional majority. It is a reminder that wealth can buy enormous reach, yet voters still weigh their own economic worries, faith and sense of who holds power.
On Tuesday night in downtown Austin, a crowd in Talarico T-shirts erupted as the Texas Senate race was called. James Talarico, a 37-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher, had defeated Republican Ken Paxton, ending a 38-year drought in which Democrats had won no Senate seat in the state. "Tonight we defeated Goliath," he told the room. "All the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas."
The upset carried weight far beyond Texas. Trump had carried the state by nearly 14 points in 2024, and Paxton was one of his closest allies. Talarico will succeed John Cornyn, who lost a bitter Republican primary to Paxton, a result that ironically helped Talarico reach independents and disillusioned Republicans. He campaigned on rising living costs, his Christian faith and a call for unity, arguing that wealthy donors had too much influence over ordinary Texans.
The race was among the most expensive Senate contests in American history, with advertising topping $500 million. Republican-aligned groups spent heavily for Paxton, including money tied to Elon Musk, whom Talarico accused of trying to buy a seat. Talarico's campaign raised $64 million in the third quarter, with most donations under $100.
The campaign was bitter and personal. Republican ads focused on Talarico's views on transgender issues and his religious beliefs, and Trump mocked him with a nickname and a false claim about his diet. A rumor that he had entered a mental health clinic turned out to be untrue; he had the flu. In his speech, Talarico told "every billionaire mega-donor" that power belongs to the people.
The result now tests whether the Texas outcome signals a wider shift, as Republicans defend a narrow Senate majority and Trump works to advance his agenda through his final two years in office.
At a performing arts center in downtown Austin on Tuesday night, a crowd in Talarico T-shirts hugged one another and punched the air as the Texas Senate race was called. Democrat James Talarico had beaten Republican Ken Paxton, ending a 38-year stretch in which his party had failed to win a Senate seat in the state.
"Tonight we defeated Goliath," Talarico told the room. "All the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas." The result is a blow to Donald Trump, whose close ally Paxton serves as state attorney general, and it came in one of the most closely watched contests of the midterms, which will decide control of Congress.
The scale of the upset is clear from the history. No Democrat had won a Senate seat in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, and none had won any statewide office since 1994. Trump carried the state by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. The party had come close before and fallen short, most notably in 2018, when Beto O'Rourke lost to Ted Cruz by just under 215,000 votes, or 2.6%.
Talarico is 37 and will become the youngest member of the Senate. He will replace John Cornyn, 74, who lost a bruising Republican primary to Paxton. That outcome ended up helping Talarico, since Paxton's nomination bolstered his appeal to Republican and independent voters. Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian, a former middle school teacher and a state representative. He built his campaign around economic worries, Christian faith and a call for political unity, arguing to disillusioned independents and Republicans that the cost of living and the influence of wealthy donors mattered more to Texans than partisan divides.
His campaign also leaned on Paxton's record. Paxton, 63, was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House in 2023 over allegations of corruption and abuse of power, and was acquitted by the state senate. Separate securities fraud charges were resolved in 2024 under an agreement requiring community service, ethics training and restitution. Paxton denied wrongdoing. Talarico cast him as corrupt and said Republicans were trying to distract voters from rising fuel and everyday costs.
Money defined the race. Advertising spending topped $500m, according to campaign spending estimates, making it one of the most expensive Senate contests in US history. Republican-aligned groups put hundreds of millions of dollars toward electing Paxton, including substantial funding linked to Elon Musk, whom Talarico accused of trying to buy a Senate seat. Talarico's side answered with its own operation: his campaign reported raising $64m in the third quarter, with 97% of donations under $100.
The attacks were personal. Republican ads focused heavily on his positions on transgender issues, his religious views and his reading of scripture, and factcheckers challenged claims in some of them. Trump rallied in Texas and called him "James Talafreako," and falsely claimed he is vegan. Vice-President JD Vance implied Talarico is gay, though he has a girlfriend. Rightwing influencers spread a false claim that he had checked into a mental health clinic in Ohio; he had the flu.
In his victory speech, Talarico said the win sent a message "to every billionaire mega-donor, every trillionaire mega-donor, every corrupt defender of this broken political system" that power belongs to the people. Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said Talarico showed Democrats how to win in Texas by challenging billionaire power and Wall Street. María Teresa Kumar of Voto Latino pointed out that Latinos make up over 40% of the state's population, and said the win shows what happens when young Latino voters are invested in and listened to.
The result matters beyond Texas. Republicans were defending a narrow Senate majority, and the loss complicates Trump's push to advance his agenda in the last two years of his presidency. It is also a setback for Musk, who moved his personal residence to Texas and owns companies building datacenters there. The remaining midterm results will show how far the Texas outcome reflects a wider shift.
Citas Notables
Tonight we defeated Goliath. All the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.— James Talarico, election night in Austin
In a state where Latinos make up over 40% of the population, this win is proof that when young Latino voters are invested in and listened to, they decide the future.— María Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino (paraphrased)
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The Guardian ↗
Politics & Governance