Democrat Talarico took a Texas Senate seat from Republican Paxton
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate race, flipping the seat. Talarico is the first Democrat to win a statewide Texas office since 1994, and the first to win a Senate race there since 1988. Reuters reported Elon Musk poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Paxton’s campaign.
More context
The race ended with Talarico taking the Senate seat from Paxton, a Republican and Texas attorney general. Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988; he also becomes the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas since 1994, according to MS NOW and PBS News. Paxton, who had Donald Trump’s endorsement, had argued that Talarico’s progressive social positions were out of step with Texas. The race drew more than $500 million in spending, making it the midterms’ most expensive, according to AdImpact, cited by MS NOW. Reuters reported that Elon Musk poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Paxton’s campaign. Talarico told supporters, “We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas.”
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Reporting
- PBS News — WATCH LIVE: Democrat James Talarico speaks after winning Texas Senate seat | PBS News
- MS NOW — Democrat James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton in Texas Senate race
- ABC7 New York — Texas Democrat James Talarico speaks out after projected win against Paxton - ABC7 New York
- Reuters — 'A mandate for change': Democrats remake Texas politics in election rout | Reuters
- Houston Public Media — ‘It still doesn’t seem real’: Inside Talarico’s historic victory party in Austin – Houston Public Media
- 19thnews.org — Texas Senate results: James Talarico wins seat over Ken Paxton
Verifier’s note
MS NOW, The 19th, ABC News, Reuters and Houston Public Media report that Talarico defeated Ken Paxton and won the Texas Senate seat for Democrats. PBS also reports the win, carrying Associated Press coverage.