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James Talarico wins Texas senate race, 1st Democrat to win the state since 1994
He defeated Trump-backed Republican candidate Ken Paxton.
November 04, 2026, 01:19 PM
Photo from jamestalarico/Instagram
James Talarico has become the senator of Texas.
The 37-year-old beat Republican Attorney-General Ken Paxton to become the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in Texas since 1994, reported US news outlet NBC.
In response to the result, Talarico made a post on Instagram, simply writing "Texas forever."
Talarico was a middle school teacher in San Antonio before winning a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2018.
NBC reported that his campaign message drew on aspects of his Christian faith, winning over Republican voters unhappy with the status quo.
In March, he defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett to secure the Democratic nomination.
Message
According to NBC, he managed to flip the state blue despite his opponent spending US$168 million (S$214 million) on advertisements.
He campaigned on a “top versus bottom instead of left versus right” message, calling on supporters to focus on the U.S.' wealth divide rather than an ideological split.
In particular, he took aim at Elon Musk, who was a major donor and backer of Paxton, invoking biblical imagery by framing it as a David-versus-Goliath battle.
Talarico accused Musk, who has data centre-related business interests in Texas, of attempting to "buy" a Senate seat, and alleged that Paxton was funded by "one dude".
He continued in his campaign speech:
"Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas. But on Nov. 3, we are going to deliver a crystal clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.”
As for the Republican side, ads supporting Paxton also claimed that Talarico had said that God was "nonbinary" and that there were six sexes.
Paxton's unpopularity
Talarico's victory also came against the backdrop of infighting amongst the Republicans.
Four-term Senator John Cornyn finished just ahead of Paxton in the March primary, but neither secured a majority.
U.S. President Donald Trump ultimately endorsed Paxton a week before the May runoff, leading Paxton to win the nomination, reported the BBC.
However, Paxton proved unpopular even with the Republican establishment and voter base.
Paxton, who has a slew of personal scandals, was impeached by the Texan legislature in 2023 and is estranged from his wife, who cited a divorce on "biblical grounds".
Cornyn ultimately never publicly endorsed Paxton.
Two members of the Bush family – of former Republican U.S. president George Bush – publicly declared their support for Talarico.
Trump remained vocal in the race, making several attacks on Talarico by calling him "Tala-freako" and alleging that he was vegan.
In an interview, Talarico said the following about Paxton:
“Yes, Ken Paxton is a child of God. He is my brother in Christ. It doesn’t mean there’s not accountability, right? Love requires accountability.”
