USAupdated 14m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 13 January 2025James Talarico Wins Texas Senate Race as Democrats Sweep Statewide Elections
“Republicans' political defeat stemmed from their failure to address growing frustration over the cost of living”
“vowed to make good on a signature campaign promise: firing the state’s top education official.”
Photo: Antonioaesparza, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton to win Texas Senate seat, first Democrat since 1994. Democrats win full control of Texas House amid statewide gains.
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Texas flips to Democrats
Democrats celebrated a sweep in Texas after James Talarico won the U.S. Senate race against Ken Paxton and Gina Hinojosa won governor, ending decades of Republican dominance in the state.
“Gina Hinojosa vowed to make good on a signature campaign promise: firing the state’s top education official.”
Gina Hinojosa, the first Democrat elected governor of Texas in nearly 40 years, vowed to make good on a signature promise: firing the state’s top education official.
The Washington Post described Tuesday as the moment when the party “swept every one of those races” and flipped one chamber of the legislature in an “epic feat.”
ABC7 New York said “A Democrat has not won a statewide Texas election in more than 30 years.”
Competing narratives and quotes
Ted Cruz said the results amounted to a “blue tsunami” and warned Republicans had “lost every single statewide election” in Texas. Cruz also wrote that “Food is too high, gas is too high, diesel is too high, insurance is too high, life is too high,” and he said voters were “pissed off” and elected Republicans “did not do enough to address their very real pain.”
Austin Scavenger Hunt owner Tiffany Dunsmore said, “I cannot believe Texas went blue!” as supporters gathered in Austin after the outcome was confirmed. The Texas Tribune described the Democrats’ approach as a “reverse coattail” effect, saying Democrats “ran someone in every seat” to get the word out about the whole ticket.
What power means next
Democrats took control of the state House in Texas after historic wins for governor and U.S. Senate.
“Now they’ll have to do that on an even bigger stage.”
The shift put pressure on Democrats to answer an electorate angry over “the rising cost of living, high gas prices, inflation and the lack of affordable housing,” and it listed policy areas shaped by state governments including “school choice and education funding” and “abortion rights.”
The Texas Tribune said the newly elected candidates would now have to decide how to govern offices they themselves may not have been sure they would win, and it quoted Wendy Davis saying, “Now they’ll have to do that on an even bigger stage.”
Hinojosa celebrated her election in Austin and pledged to fire the state’s top education official, signaling immediate action tied to the campaign promise.