Texas turns blue as Democrats flip Senate seat, governor’s mansion

• Democrats flipped Texas' US Senate seat, with James Talarico defeating Republican Ken Paxton.
• Talarico became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988.
• Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ending nearly three decades of Republican control of the governor's mansion.

Democrats scored a historic breakthrough in Texas on Nov. 3, defeating Republicans in the state's high-profile Senate and gubernatorial races and threatening the party's long-standing grip on one of the country's most reliably Republican states.

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the US Senate race, ending a 32-year Democratic losing streak in statewide elections. He will become the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988, after Republicans held both Senate seats for decades.

In an even bigger upset, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who conceded after 12 years in office. Her victory will return Democrats to the governor's mansion for the first time since Ann Richards left office in 1995. Hinojosa will also become Texas' first Latina governor.

The twin victories mark an extraordinary reversal in a state Donald Trump carried by 14 percentage points in 2024. No Democrat had come within 10 points of defeating Abbott in his previous gubernatorial campaigns.

Democrats also made gains in the Houston area, where several Republican-held Texas House seats became competitive. GOP incumbents Lacey Hull, Charles Cunningham, Mike Schofield and Valoree Swanson were trailing Democratic challengers in early returns.

The results represent a major departure from Texas' recent political history, with Democrats breaking through in two of the state's most powerful elected offices in the same election.

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