Talarico Wins Texas Democratic Senate Nomination; Cornyn and Paxton Head to May Runoff

On Tuesday night in Austin, State Rep. James Talarico told supporters that his campaign was about more than winning an election, that it was trying to fundamentally change politics, and that it was working. Before the night was over, the Associated Press had called the Texas Democratic Senate primary for him over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, ending an expensive and bitter contest and handing Democrats a nominee they hope can pull off a November upset.

Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, opened the midterm season on Tuesday, with control of Congress at stake and the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in the background. No Democrat has won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, and the party's last Senate victory there came in 1988. In a statement after his win, Talarico said: "We're about to take back Texas." Crockett spoke only briefly, warning that "people have been disenfranchised." Her campaign said she planned to sue over voting problems in Dallas.

The two candidates offered different styles. Crockett built a national profile on sharp attacks against Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas. Talarico, a seminarian who often cites the Bible, held rallies across the state, including in heavily Republican areas. Both argued they were the stronger choice for a state that backed Trump by almost 14 points in 2024. Talarico outspent Crockett on television by more than four to one as of late February, and he got a boost in attention and donations last month when CBS declined to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert. Colbert said the network pulled it for fear of angering Trump's FCC. Dallas voter Tanu Sani said Talarico spoke to her through his effort to unify; Dallas County voter Tomas Sanchez backed Crockett because, he said, she cares about immigrants and Americans in a way many Republicans have not.

On the Republican side, no one cleared the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Sen. John Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, will face state Attorney General Ken Paxton on May 26. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished a distant third and conceded, though his presence made an outright win harder for anyone. All three campaigned on ties to Trump, who has not endorsed, so Cornyn and Paxton now compete again for his favor. Cornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek reelection and fail to be renominated.

Cornyn held no election night party. Speaking to reporters in Austin, he argued that a Paxton win would leave "a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans," and called Paxton "flawed, self-centered and shameless." His cool relationship with Trump is part of his vulnerability; he and allied groups have spent at least $64 million on television ads since July. Paxton, who began campaigning in earnest only last month, has drawn national attention for lawsuits against Democratic initiatives and remains popular despite his 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, which ended in acquittal, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife. In Dallas he said, "Texas is not for sale." Senate GOP leaders, who back Cornyn, worry that Paxton would be harder to defend and force spending needed elsewhere.

Voting was messy in places. Polls stayed open longer in Dallas County and Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters said they were turned away and sent to other precincts under new primary rules. Paxton's office challenged the extension, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. be separated. It was unclear how that would be carried out or how many eligible Dallas County ballots remained. In Harris County, a spokesperson said voters were still at 20 centers as of 10 p.m.

Down the ballot, newly drawn congressional maps, redrawn by GOP lawmakers at Trump's urging, shaped several contests. Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost to state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz. Rep. Tony Gonzales, dogged by an alleged affair with a staffer who later killed herself, goes to a runoff with Brandon Herrera in a district that includes Uvalde. Eric Flores, endorsed by Trump, beat former Rep. Mayra Flores. Former baseball star Mark Teixeira won the GOP nomination to succeed Chip Roy, and Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, won his primary and will face Rep. Monica De La Cruz. Gov. Greg Abbott will face state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, and Roy heads to a runoff with Mayes Middleton for attorney general.

What to watch now: whether Trump endorses in the Cornyn-Paxton runoff, and what happens with Crockett's planned legal challenge over Dallas County voting.