Talarico Win Ends Texas Democrats’ Long Losing Streak
WHO:
KUT - Nate Sheets was to be succeeded as agriculture commissioner by the winning candidate; the winner would also succeed Sid Miller, who had served as agriculture commissioner since 2015.
KUT - Republican state Rep. Mike Schofield, state Rep. Lacey Hull and state Rep. Valoree Swanson were trailing in their Texas House races; Republican state Rep. Ben Bumgarner conceded his Denton County race.
The Texas Tribune - House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Republicans spent millions across more than 30 Republican-held House districts; Republicans outspent Democrats in most competitive races.
The Texas Tribune - Rep. Senfronia Thompson, who has served in the Texas House since 1973, had the backing of at least 11 Democrats in her bid for speaker. Rep. Joe Moody was also in the running.
KUT - Ken Paxton said he would pray for James Talarico’s success representing Texans and said, “I walk away from this job in a couple months.”
KUT - James Talarico was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2018; Nathan Johnson was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2018.
KUT - Sarah Eckhardt declared victory; Don Huffines had been appointed comptroller by Greg Abbott earlier in 2026 and was seeking a full term.
KUT - Ericka Lomick led Republican Alan Blaylock in Tarrant County despite suspending her campaign in September over questions about her eligibility.
The Texas Tribune - Democrats needed to flip 14 Texas House seats to gain control; the AP had called six flips for Democrats by 6 a.m. Wednesday, while Democrats led in at least a dozen additional Republican-held districts.
The Texas Tribune - Texas House Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu had predicted a Democratic takeover; campaign chair Christina Morales said, “We feel as though we may have control of the House, but we’re cautiously optimistic.”
The Texas Tribune - Democratic Rep. Taylor Rehmet won a full four-year term in a district President Trump carried by 17 points; the Texas Senate remained 19 Republicans to 12 Democrats.
The Texas Tribune - Rep. Senfronia Thompson announced a bid for Texas House speaker with support from at least 11 Democrats; Rep. Joe Moody was also described as a potential candidate.
ABC News - James Talarico, identified as Texas senator-elect, said the Democratic sweep in the midterm elections went beyond party lines.
KUT - James Talarico, a Democrat and former public school teacher first elected to the Texas House in 2018, defeated Republican Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate seat.
KUT - Republican Gov. Greg Abbott conceded his reelection bid to Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa, an Austin state representative and former Austin school board president.
KUT - Talarico will succeed Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who has held the seat since 2002. Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015.
KUT - Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated Republican incumbent Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor; Democrat Nathan Johnson defeated Republican Mayes Middleton for attorney general; and Democrat Jon Rosenthal defeated Republican Bo French for Railroad Commission.
KUT - Democrats Sarah Eckhardt, Clayton Tucker and Benjamin Flores led Republican candidates Don Huffines, Nate Sheets and Dawn Buckingham in the comptroller, agriculture commissioner and land commissioner races, respectively.
Deadline - Author Casey McQuiston wrote *Red, White & Royal Blue*, a 2019 novel later adapted by Prime Video.
Alternet - New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg described the Texas Democratic sweep as a major psychological blow to Republicans; Texas comptroller Don Huffines had warned that Texas was “the foundation of the Republican Party in America.”
WHAT:
KUT - The Texas comptroller’s office administers the state’s private school voucher program, which received $1 billion in initial funding. Republicans had held the comptroller’s office since 1998.
The Texas Tribune - The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee named the Texas House a target for the first time this cycle, targeting 12 potential seat flips.
The Texas Tribune - Democrats appeared poised to gain control of the Texas House for the first time since Republicans took control in 2003, though most close races remained uncalled.
The Texas Tribune - Christina Morales said early priorities would include expanding Medicaid, repealing school vouchers and repealing legislation targeting immigrants and people of color.
KUT - Talarico’s victory marked the first Democratic U.S. Senate win in Texas since 1988, ending a 32-year losing streak. He said, “We just took back Texas,” and “power belongs to the people.”
KUT - Hinojosa’s victory ended three decades of Republican control of the Texas governor’s office. She was set to become the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in 1990 and the first Latina to lead Texas.
KUT - Abbott said, “There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically, we are not going to be able to win this election.” Hinojosa said, “Your government belongs to you.”
KUT - Goodwin had 51.7% of the vote to Patrick’s 45.7%; the Associated Press called the race in her favor at 2 a.m.
KUT - Johnson had about 52.4% to Middleton’s just under 46%; Libertarian Tom Oxford had 1.7%.
KUT - Eckhardt had 50% to Huffines’ 47%; Libertarian V. Alonzo Echavarria-Garza had 1.7%, and Green Party candidate Shehla Faizi had 0.6%.
KUT - Rosenthal had about 53% to French’s 46%; Libertarian Arthur DiBianca had 1.9%.
KUT - Tucker led Sheets 51% to about 47%; Libertarian Austin R. Kelly had 2%. Flores led Buckingham about 51% to 47%; Libertarian Neill Snider had 1.6%.
Alternet - Goldberg said Talarico and Hinojosa’s wins, alongside other Texas Democratic victories, made the scale of the Republican setback difficult to overstate. She described the national results as a repudiation of Trump and rejection of tech billionaires allied with him.
WHERE:
KUT - The races were statewide in Texas. Talarico addressed supporters in Austin; Paxton’s concession and Abbott’s concession were also reported in the state.
Alternet - Goldberg cited Democratic victories in Kansas, Ohio and South Carolina, in addition to Texas.
WHEN:
KUT - More than 7.4 million Texans voted during the two-week early-voting period; including mail ballots, more than 7.7 million votes were cast before Election Day, representing over 40% of 19 million registered voters.
WHY:
KUT - Don Huffines campaigned to make the comptroller’s office scrutinize government spending more closely; Sarah Eckhardt argued he had overstepped the office’s authority.
BBC - Talarico said Elon Musk wanted a senator who would “do his bidding,” sell Texas land for data centers and give away Texas water.
KUT - Hinojosa campaigned on public education and the rising cost of living. Goodwin campaigned on public-school funding, teacher pay, health-care access and repealing the state abortion ban.
KUT - The Senate race drew national attention because of its potential implications for control of the U.S. Senate.
HOW:
KUT - The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas, including drilling, pipeline safety and abandoned-well plugging; it has little to do with railroads.
KUT - The Texas General Land Office manages roughly 13 million acres and generates public-school revenue through the Permanent School Fund.
(UPDATED November 4, 2026 20:03 UTC)
Democrats swept Texas statewide races, with James Talarico defeating Ken Paxton for Senate. Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott, ending Republican control of the governorship. Democrats also won lieutenant governor and attorney general, while House control remained uncertain.
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(UPDATED November 4, 2026 19:02 UTC)
Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, winning Texas’s first Democratic Senate race since 1988. Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of Texas’s governor’s office. Democrats also won statewide races and appeared poised to take the Texas House.
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(UPDATED November 4, 2026 17:06 UTC)
Texas Democrats swept statewide races, with James Talarico defeating Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate. Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of the governor’s office. Democrats also won lieutenant governor and attorney general.