On a Tuesday night that many had expected to be a quiet reaffirmation of Republican strength, James Talarico, a Democrat and the son of a preacher, is projected to have unseated Ken Paxton in Texas, a state that has for decades belonged to the Republican column. If the call holds, Talarico would be the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988, a return that many had once thought all but impossible. Set against a wider pattern of traditionally safe seats falling across the map, the result reads as a sign of shifting sentiment, and a rare moment when a long-settled political la
Talarico projected to win Texas Senate seat in major Midterms upset over Paxton
A state that was all but a pipe dream for the party in recent years
Mark
Why is a single Texas Senate seat getting this much attention?
Mimi
Because Texas hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, and Trump won it by nearly 14 points in 2024. It was supposed to be out of reach.
Mark
And it's not the only seat that moved.
Mimi
No. North Carolina and South Carolina were reported flipped too, and Jon Ossoff was projected to win in Georgia. Democrats needed only four seats at the start of the night.
Luke
I'd slow down on one thing. This is a projection, not a final certified result. The reporting calls it a win, but it's projected.
Mark
Fair. What about the language, like 'seismic' and 'humiliation for Trump'?
Luke
That's characterization. 'One of the greatest wins in Democratic history' is described that way, but we aren't told by whom. The 'pristine moment' line is Lewis Goodall's view from a watch party, so it's one reporter's read.
Mimi
The hard facts are the 1988 gap and the 14-point margin from 2024. Those show why people are reacting so strongly.
Mark
Does this mean Democrats win the Senate?
Luke
Not from what's here. The source says the result could have significant implications for control, which is not the same as saying control has changed. That depends on seats still being counted.
Mimi
Right, so the thing to watch is the tally in the remaining races.
Der Puls
- Polls had barely closed when Republican strongholds began to wobble, and the Texas call landed like a jolt across the watch parties.
- Talarico's projected defeat of Paxton in a state Trump carried by nearly 14 points has been described as a seismic upset.
- Democrats needed just four seats to seize the Senate, and every flipped safe seat, from the Carolinas onward, tightens the arithmetic.
- The call is still a projection, not a certified result, so the final shape of Senate control hangs on contests yet to be decided.
- Trump reportedly braced for a 'really bad night,' and the momentum now runs toward whether the blue wave holds through the count.
On a Tuesday night that many had expected to be a quiet reaffirmation of Republican strength, James Talarico, a Democrat and the son of a preacher, is projected to have unseated Ken Paxton in Texas, a state that has for decades belonged to the Republican column. If the call holds, Talarico would be the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988, a return that many had once thought all but impossible. Set against a wider pattern of traditionally safe seats falling across the map, the result reads as a sign of shifting sentiment, and a rare moment when a long-settled political landscape seems to be moving beneath people's feet.
James Talarico, a Democrat and the son of a preacher, is projected to have defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. LBC has called it an upset of seismic proportions in the 2026 Midterms. If the projection holds, Talarico will be the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988, in a state that has long been a Republican stronghold.
LBC's Lewis Goodall, reporting from a Texas watch party, called the moment a "pristine" one for Democrats. The result is also a heavy blow to Donald Trump, who carried Texas by nearly 14 points in 2024. Texas is the second-largest state in the country, so the seat carries real weight.
The win did not come alone. Republicans entered Tuesday defending a narrow Senate majority, and traditionally safe seats in North and South Carolina had already flipped. Democrats needed only four seats to gain control, and the Texas call adds to a run of wins that could change the balance of the chamber. The projection is not yet a final result, and the remaining races will decide what this night ultimately means.
James Talarico, a Democrat and the son of a preacher, is projected to have beaten Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, a result that LBC describes as an upset of seismic proportions in the 2026 Midterms.
If the projection holds, Talarico will become the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988. Texas has long been a Republican stronghold, and for the Democratic Party in recent years a win there was all but a pipe dream. The result has been described as one of the greatest wins in Democratic history.
LBC's Lewis Goodall, reporting from a watch party in Texas, called it a "pristine moment" for the Democrats. The outcome also lands as a heavy blow to Donald Trump. He carried Texas by nearly 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, and the state is the second biggest in the country. Talarico will now be one of its senators.
The Texas contest was one of the most closely watched of the night, and it points to a distinct shift in voter sentiment away from the Trump administration. It did not arrive in isolation. Republicans went into Tuesday evening defending a narrow Senate majority, and within a few hours of polls closing across parts of the country, red strongholds had begun to topple. A string of traditionally safe Republican Senate seats, including North Carolina and South Carolina, had already been flipped by Democrats.
The arithmetic explains why the Texas result matters so much. At the start of the night, Democrats needed just four seats to take control of the Senate. Earlier coverage from LBC had reported Democrat Jon Ossoff leading a blue wave of Senate wins, with Ossoff projected to win Georgia as polls closed across the US. It also reported that Trump was bracing for what was described as a 'really bad night.'
The Texas call is a projection rather than a final declared result, and the broader question of Senate control depends on the remaining contests still to be decided. What to watch now is whether the run of Democratic wins adds up to the seats needed to change the balance of the chamber, and how that reshapes the political outlook for the rest of the Midterm count.
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A 'pristine moment' for the Democrats.— Lewis Goodall, LBC, reporting from a watch party in Texas
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