Talarico wins Texas Senate seat as Hinojosa defeats Abbott for governor

Talarico defeats Paxton for the Texas Senate seat

James Talarico, a 37-year-old Democrat who sits in the Texas House and previously taught sixth-grade English at a public school in San Antonio, won the Texas Senate seat over Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general and a close ally of Donald Trump. Kathimerini reported the latest returns at about 54% for Talarico against 43% for Paxton, while NewsIT put the margin at roughly 17 points, so the figures differ and should be read as early returns. According to NewsIT, it is the first Senate seat won by a Democrat in Texas since 1988. Paxton had faced impeachment proceedings in the Texas House in 2023 over corruption and abuse of power allegations, and he was acquitted by the state Senate. Separate fraud charges against him were settled in 2024.

James Talarico (Democrat)54%

Ken Paxton (Republican)43%

James Talarico (Democrat)

54 %

Ken Paxton (Republican)

43 %

Data from the article text

Hinojosa defeats Abbott in the governor's race

Gina Hinojosa, a 52-year-old Democratic lawmaker, beat Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who had been trying to win a fourth term. Her victory makes her the first Latina elected governor of Texas and the first Democratic governor of the state in more than 30 years. One of her early campaign pledges was a one-time payment of $1,500 to each of nearly 32 million residents, which she called a 'Corruption Tax Refund' and said would be paid from the state's emergency reserve fund. She also seized on rising national opposition to data centers for artificial intelligence, accusing Abbott of letting them multiply. Those facilities consume large amounts of energy and are blamed for higher power prices and environmental damage. Abbott responded to public anger by temporarily freezing approvals of new data centers, and his campaign had spent $180 million within a year trying to secure the fourth term.

Money, Trump and a divided Republican camp

Elon Musk gave tens of millions of dollars to support Republicans, and one report says he also gave hundreds of millions to super PAC committees backing Paxton. Trump endorsed Paxton in the Republican primary over John Cornyn, a senator who had won every race since 2002. Cornyn never explicitly backed Paxton and co-hosted a fundraiser with former president George W. Bush for Republican Senate candidates that excluded Paxton. In a phone interview with Fox News early on Wednesday, 4 November, Trump said he had no choice but to back Paxton and described Cornyn as not a supporter of his. Republicans in the state were reported to be stunned and frustrated by the outcome.

Talarico's message and what comes next

Talarico built his campaign around cost of living, education, health care and unity, drawing on his Christian faith and his time as a seminary student at a Presbyterian school. He framed the race as the top against the bottom rather than left against right, arguing that the richest 1% wanted the rest of the country fighting itself. Early voting turnout broke records in many counties. In a victory rally in Austin, Talarico said his campaign had faced its own Goliaths, including the richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world and Washington's establishment. NEWS 24/7 reported that the win brings Democrats closer to the four seats they need for a Senate majority, and NewsIT said Democrats also gained seats in North and South Carolina that Republicans had held. Hinojosa said Abbott had offered to help with the transition of power and thanked him for his service to the state.