USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 13 January 2025Democrat James Talarico Defeats Republican Ken Paxton To Flip Texas Senate Seat
“The persistent rumor that he was a vegan in meat-loving Texas ricocheted in the MAGAverse”
“No Democrat had won a Senate seat in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988”
Photo: Antonioaesparza, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton to win the Texas Senate seat. Democrats flip Texas Senate, ending GOP statewide control in decades.
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Talarico defeats Paxton
Democrat James Talarico won the US Senate race in Texas, defeating Republican Ken Paxton in a contest that broke a 38-year drought for his party in the Republican stronghold. The Associated Press called the race late Tuesday, and CBS News projected that Talarico would defeat Paxton to flip the seat for Democrats. Talarico defeated Paxton, the state attorney general and a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, in one of the most closely watched contests of the midterm elections to decide control of Congress.
No Democrat had won a Senate seat in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988 and none had won any statewide office since 1994. Talarico became the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994 and the first Democrat to be elected Senator by Texans since 1988.
Spending, endorsements, controversies
The Guardian said advertising spending topped $500m in the race, and it reported that Republican-aligned groups poured hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to elect Paxton. The price tag for just ads in the race approached three-quarters-of-a-billion dollars and the ally of Trump flooded the state with $224 million of support for Paxton. Billionaire Elon Musk was among the most prominent financial backers of the Republican effort, contributing $158m to the Senate Leadership Fund.
Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Trump, and the race was one of the most closely watched and expensive races this year. Trump backed Paxton and the attorney general defeated incumbent Republican senator John Cornyn in a bitter primary contest.
What the win changes
CBS News projected that Democrats clinched a key win as they aimed to take control of the Senate, and it framed the result as a major flip for Democrats that they had long sought in the Lone Star State.
The victory threatened Republicans' control of the Senate, where Democrats needed to gain four seats to retake the majority.
Democrats have won control of the U.S. Senate, according to New York Times projections, and it cited Democrats needing 51 seats to overcome Vice President JD Vance's tie-breaking vote.
Josh Turek has won in Iowa, according to its projections, giving Democrats the 51 seats they need.
Suzan DelBene, chairwoman of the DCCC, said, "We won the majority, district by district, with amazing candidates," and it added that she said, "They understand their job is representative, not rubber stamp."
