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Archive photo · 13 January 2025James Talarico Defeats Ken Paxton To Flip Texas U.S. Senate Seat
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Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton to win the Texas U.S. Senate seat. This ends the GOP’s three-decade statewide dominance in Texas.
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21 outlets told this the same way.
Talarico defeats Paxton
Democrat James Talarico flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to deliver the first statewide Democratic victory in more than 30 years.
The Associated Press said the race ended with Talarico defeating Paxton, and it described the win as “the first statewide victory in more than 30 years.”
Outgoing Republican Senator John Cornyn congratulated Talarico, saying, “I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate.”
Talarico celebrated the result with the message “Texas forever,” after the election was projected as a win for the Senate seat.
The win also ended a long drought for Democrats in Texas, with the sources saying the last time a Democrat won a federal Senate election there was in 1988, when Lloyd Bentsen won his last reelection.
Campaign, money, and GOP
The AP described Talarico as a 37-year-old state legislator and former middle school teacher who would become Texas’ first Democratic senator since 1993, replacing longtime Sen. John Cornyn, 74.
The AP said the victory sent a jolt through a longtime GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump carried by double digits just two years ago, and it framed the result as a rejection of Trump’s pick for the seat.
CiberCuba said Paxton had been subjected to impeachment in May 2023, with the state House voting 121-23 to impeach him, and it added that he was acquitted by the state Senate.
The AP said the heated campaign became partly a referendum on Paxton’s legal, personal and ethical troubles, including a federal corruption investigation that did not result in charges.
CiberCuba said the race became the most expensive Senate contest in U.S. history, with between $560 million and $573 million spent on advertising.
What the win changes
The AP said the victory could threaten Republicans’ control of the Senate, where Democrats needed to gain four seats to retake the majority, and it positioned the Texas result as part of a broader Democratic breakthrough night.
The AP also reported that Talarico’s win would make him the Senate’s youngest member, and it said he would replace Sen. John Cornyn, 74, after Cornyn lost a bruising GOP primary to Paxton.
Community Impact said the winner of the Nov. 3 election would replace Sen. John Cornyn and work alongside Republican Ted Cruz, and it noted that each state has two U.S. senators.
Community Impact said that if Talarico wins, it would be the first time Texans elect a Democrat to a statewide seat in more than 30 years, and it added that all results were unofficial until canvassed.
The AP described the race as one of the most expensive of the midterms, and it said Democrats’ path to victory was tied to converting GOP voters and focusing on the rising cost of living.