TEXAS TURNS BLUE: Democrats Seize Lone Star State in Stunning Double Victory

BREAKING: Democrat James Talarico wins U.S. Senate race in Texas, NBC News projects. https://t.co/EbwSxF8pnZ pic.twitter.com/WIb5Y05Gf2

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 4, 2026

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BREAKING: Democrat James Talarico WINS the U.S. Senate race in TEXAS, DEFEATING Republican Ken Paxton, per DDHQ

Pray for our country tonight. We're going to need as MUCH help from God as we can get.

Trump won Texas by about 14 POINTS in 2024.

This is a FIVE-ALARM fire for… pic.twitter.com/4yVftHGU9U

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 4, 2026

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It’s a huge moment for Democrats, both because it finally notches the party a big victory in a state key to presidential elections and because it edges them closer to winning a Senate majority.

The party needs to net four seats to take back the majority, and at the beginning of the year, a win in Texas seemed like a long shot.

It is also a huge blow to Republicans in general, and specifically to President Trump, who endorsed controversial Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a contentious GOP primary runoff.

Many Republicans saw Cornyn as the much safer pick and will believe that in endorsing Paxton, who easily defeated Cornyn in a primary after the endorsement, the president helped deliver a historic victory to Democrats.

Talarico, the 37-year-old state lawmaker, was seen as Democrats’ best chance in years to break through the GOP’s domination of statewide seats.

Talarico’s measured bid focused on a unity message, leaning into his faith and experience as a Presbyterian seminarian and former public school teacher. He was one of the Democratic state legislators who fled Texas last year in a bid to stall GOP-friendly redistricting and drew comparisons to Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who came within a few points of ousting Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2018.

Ahead of Election Day, the Democrat narrowly led in DDHQ’s polling averages, and forecasts signaled he was slightly favored to pull i off after raising a staggering $64 million in the third quarter of the year, compared to Paxton’s $18 million.

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BREAKING: The Fox News Decision Desk can project that Democrat Gina Hinojosa will defeat Gov. Greg Abbott in the Texas gubernatorial race, ending his 12-year run.

Democrats haven’t won a statewide race in Texas in 32 years. pic.twitter.com/V3JvwAMSs3

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2026

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Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott for governor Tuesday, denying the Republican a record fourth term and triggering a political earthquake in a state that has not seen a Democrat sit in the governor’s mansion this century.

Abbott conceded at 10 p.m. at his results watch party. He said he had just gotten off the phone with Hinojosa to congratulate her.

“I love our state. It has been an honor to serve it. And know that we are leaving Texas in far better shape than it’s ever been. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot,” he said.

With a populist campaign promise to revitalize public schools and purge state government of undue corporate and billionaire influence, Hinojosa overcame a more than four-to-one spending disparity to topple the three-term Republican incumbent as part of a blue wave that washed over a long drought-ridden state for Democrats.

Though he launched his reelection bid with the power of incumbency, seemingly limitless fundraising and extensive party infrastructure in place, Abbott was ultimately unable to withstand the intense political headwinds facing the GOP this cycle.

Hinojosa, 52, will be Texas’ first Latina governor. The state’s last female chief executive — and the last Democrat to serve in the governor’s mansion — was Ann Richards, who lost reelection to George W. Bush in 1994.

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“Leading this state has been the greatest honor I’ve ever had. Thank you for your support, your love and for making Texas Texas.”

After 12 years in office, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers an emotional farewell after Democrat Gina Hinojosa is projected to defeat him in a historic… pic.twitter.com/JyLGuf5b0c

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2026

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“Leading this state has been the greatest honor I’ve ever had. Thank you for your support, your love and for making Texas Texas.”

After 12 years in office, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivers an emotional farewell after Democrat Gina Hinojosa is projected to defeat him in a historic gubernatorial upset.

The Fox News Decision Desk projects Hinojosa will unseat Abbott, marking a major political shift in a state where Democrats have not won a statewide race in 32 years.

“We believe in freedom over fear, God over government,” Abbott declares as he reflects on Texas’ nearly 200-year history and the values he says will endure long after his time in office.

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