AUSTIN — James Talarico is projected to become Texas’ first statewide elected Democrat in more than three decades, defeating state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the most watched and most expensive Senate race in history.
The victory is a landmark moment for the Democratic Party, which has spent years attempting to wrestle control of Texas away from Republicans and predicting that the state’s changing demographics would eventually allow it to do so.
While Democrats were optimistic going into Tuesday evening, when it became clear Talarico would win, the energy at the election night watch party with the candidate was palpable.
During a concession speech given late Tuesday, Paxton said he’d be “praying” for Talarico. Paxton said he was grateful for “the opportunity to try to do the best I could to do good for Texas” during his 12 years as the state’s attorney general.
Trending
“I love Texas, I’ll always love Texas. We will still fight for this place,” Paxton said. “We’ve had a difficult night tonight across the country, but it’s not over.”
Throughout the campaign, Talarico, a two-term state representative, merged messages of faith and populism. He made a case to independent and Republican voters who were turned off by the Trump administration and Paxton that he could be a candidate for all kinds of Texans.
Talarico leaned on hometown nostalgia. He appeared alongside country singers Kacey Musgraves and The Chicks, and branded himself with “Friday Night Lights”-inspired messaging. He touted endorsements by members of the Bush family and Thomas J. Henry, a well-known personal injury attorney who backed Paxton during the Republican primary.
“I am tired of us being divided into teams, left versus right, blue versus red, urban versus rural,” Talarico said during a town hall hosted by CNN and Jubilee Media in October. “Because the truth is, we’re all on the same team.”
Talarico consistently polled ahead of Paxton throughout the race. In the election’s final weeks, Republican donors, including Elon Musk, began dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the race to support Paxton.
The Sen. Chuck Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC waded into the race in September, when it began an advertising blitz against Paxton. Home to 20 different media markets, Texas is among the most expensive states to campaign in, and the super PAC had hoped to focus spending on smaller, cheaper states, The New York Times reported.
Talarico was able to pull off the upset in part because Paxton was weighed down with his own baggage.
Over the course of the campaign, Paxton faced criticism over unforced errors: Leaked audio in which he was critical of his own party repeatedly became a focal point, and in October, The Wall Street Journal published footage that showed Paxton partying in Dubai with U.S. fugitives.
His wife, who filed for divorce “on biblical grounds” last year, appeared in an ad encouraging voters to support Republican candidates, though she did not name Paxton. Incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in a runoff election, declined to offer his endorsement. Paxton’s 2023 impeachment (and acquittal) by his own party, haunted the campaign.
Still, Paxton tried to rile his base by painting Talarico as too liberal for the state.
“If we lose Texas, we lose America,” was a regular refrain at Paxton’s campaign rallies.
At 37 years old, Talarico will be the youngest member of the Senate. He appealed broadly to younger voters at a time when skepticism toward the gerontocracy, and entrenched Washington politicians, was on the rise.
Talarico pledged to tackle issues related to affordability, education access and the growing class divide once sworn in.
—
Editor’s Note: This story was updated with additional reporting.
Authors
