Democrat James Talarico Wins Texas Senate Race, Defeating Republican Ken Paxton

Democrat James Talarico won Texas's U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by about 55 percent to 43 percent in the state's Wednesday tally. He is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. State data showed Talarico received 4,397,474 early votes, more than the 4,249,373 Paxton received in total. Texas had a record 7.4 million early votes over a 12-day period. Results are not yet certified. Donald Trump carried Texas by 13.7 points in 2024. Democrats also swept statewide races, are on track to take the state House and flipped four state Supreme Court seats, according to one report. In Denton County, Talarico won 53.3 percent to Paxton's 44.9 percent, while Republican Rep. Brandon Gill won reelection in the 26th District by about ten points, 182,648 votes to 147,944 for Democrat Steven Shook. Democrats won Senate control but fell short of 60 votes. Talarico told NBC News he wants to abolish the filibuster, calling it a "Jim Crow relic." Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would not say whether Democrats would do so.

Right-leaning outlets frame the result through specific races and Democratic divisions. Breitbart goes county by county, giving Gill's margins, precinct counts and totals in Cooke and Wise counties, and noting Talarico carried Denton County while Gill held his seat. The Daily Wire leads with Talarico's filibuster remarks and contrasts them with Schumer's refusal to commit. Left-leaning The New Republic leads with Talarico's statewide win, stressing that his early-vote total beat Paxton's entire vote. It also highlights the record turnout, the Democratic statewide sweep and the Supreme Court flips, reading the result as a Republican defeat. All sides report the roughly 55–43 margin and the first Senate win for a Democrat since 1988. They differ in emphasis: local Republican resilience and policy fights versus a statewide Democratic surge. The Free Press offers a profile-style angle, calling Talarico the first Democrat to win statewide office since 1994.