Democrat James Talarico Defeats Ken Paxton in Texas U.S. Senate Race

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Tuesday's U.S. Senate election, winning about 55 percent to 43 percent in tallies reported Wednesday. He is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen won reelection in 1988, and the party's first statewide win in Texas since 1994. State figures show Talarico received 4,397,474 early votes, more than the 4,249,373 votes Paxton got in total. About 7.4 million Texans voted early during the 12-day period. Results are not yet certified. President Donald Trump won 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. Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate but fell short of 60 votes. In an NBC News interview, Talarico said he wants to abolish the filibuster, which he called a Jim Crow relic. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declined to say whether Democrats would do so, saying their first task is reducing costs.

The left-leaning New Republic leads with the early-vote count exceeding Paxton's total, the record turnout, and a margin beating the final poll's 50–43. It frames the result as a statewide rebuke of Republicans in the midterms. Right-leaning outlets use the same 55–43 result and the 1988 milestone but shift focus. Breitbart centers on Denton County, where Talarico won by 8.4 points while Republican Rep. Brandon Gill won reelection. Breitbart stresses vote counts and precinct detail. The Daily Wire leads with Talarico's filibuster remarks and Schumer's reluctance to commit, and leaves out the turnout and sweep details. Newsweek, an alternative outlet, takes a distinct angle with a county-by-county look at Talarico's coalition, including a Ted Cruz quote on the voters Republicans lost.