Republicans and allies branded Talarico; DeSantis called the sweep “a huge loss”
Democrats carried Texas, the US’s second biggest state, in Tuesday’s 2026 midterms, The Guardian reported, delivering their first statewide victory since 1994 after 32 long years. James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, whom The Guardian described as scandal-plagued and Trump-endorsed, and Talarico’s breakthrough helped Democrats retake control of the U.S. Senate. Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, who was running for a record fourth term, and became Texas’s first Latina governor; Talarico became the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. The last Democratic senator elected from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, the year before Talarico was born, and the last Democratic governor was Ann Richards, elected in 1990. The Guardian described the wait through “false dawns” and “broken dreams” and called the pair of victories “the jewel in the crown of Donald Trump’s midterm humiliation.”
Paul Fletcher, a 33-year-old tech worker born and raised in Austin, said he never expected to see his home state turn blue. “Commonsense Texans were tired of what has been happening to them in their state for generations,” he said. Fletcher cited rising living costs across Texas’s metro areas as a key driver alongside Paxton’s scandals, adding that the message to Trump and the Maga movement was clear: “Their policies aren’t popular in this country any more.”
Ziad Fanous, a 59-year-old software company chief financial officer wearing a Talarico campaign T-shirt, said: “I’m so happy, just ecstatic about it. It was wonderful. Texas needed this badly.” Fanous said: “I am surprised by the landslide and that makes me feel so good because it shows there is goodness still with people, that they’re not going to vote for somebody like Paxton, and they’re going to lean towards somebody like Talarico, which is amazing.” He added: “The biggest thing frankly goes beyond affordability. It’s about corruption on one side and honesty and integrity on the other. I hope that it changes the culture of America back to what it should be.”
Dustin Hall, a 44-year-old IT worker and journalism student, saw the result as a profound restoration of trust. He said of Talarico: “He’s a very honest, very decent person, a Christian who doesn’t use Christianity as a weapon.” Hall added: “Ken Paxton was bankrolled by Elon Musk and other oligarchs. I do believe that James Talarico will be working for the people of Texas and not for the oligarchs.” He viewed the election as a clear “rejection of the Maga philosophy and the Maga mentality.”
Tiffany Dunsmore, 44, the owner of Austin Scavenger Hunt, said, “This is amazing,” and added, “I cannot believe Texas went blue!” Lynn Jones, an 80-year-old writer from Round Rock, Talarico’s hometown, watched the results in near disbelief and declared, “Ann Richards is dancing in heaven right now – with Gina.” Asked what message the outcome sent to Donald Trump, Jones answered, “It’s over.”
Sasa Rodriguez, a 53-year-old graphic designer, said: “Everybody’s had enough. We’re not all stupid. Finally, this is happening. On The Daily Show when they go and interview people at Maga events they all just look like a bunch of idiots. We’re not all a bunch of idiots. Even the idiots are not idiots.”
The celebration around them unfolded at a watch party with the atmosphere of a political festival. The plaza of the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin was packed with taco trucks, craft stalls selling handmade ceramics and vendors stitching bandanas on demand. The city skyline gleamed in the distance on a balmy night as giant television screens showed Democrats advancing in Republican strongholds across the country. At 10 p.m. local time, results confirmed that Democrats had claimed Texas and a great roar of jubilation went up. Supporters wearing Talarico T-shirts punched the air and hugged one another, while nearby cars tooted their horns. The Guardian wrote, “The weight of three decades had finally been lifted.”
In 2026, Republicans and their allies branded their Democratic opponent “James Talafreako,” “Tofu Talarico” and “Six-gender Jimmy,” implying falsely that he was gay, and produced an AI-generated ad showing him dressed in an outfit resembling Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and falsely claiming that he was vegan, The Guardian reported. The Guardian wrote, “None of it worked.”
The result carried national weight, and The Guardian called it “a Texas-sized shock to the US political system in general and the Republican party in particular.” Texas was home to former president George HW Bush and was still home to his son, former president George W Bush. Donald Trump won the state by 14 percentage points in the 2024 election. In the outlet’s telling, Texas was now “the ground zero of his failure,” and many Republicans believed the loss might have been salvageable had Trump not intervened in the primary to boost Paxton against incumbent Republican senator John Cornyn.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on social media: “Texas has been the most significant Republican state this century. A Democrat sweep of statewide races – and possible capture of the Legislature – takes away one of the anchors of the modern GOP. A huge loss.” The Guardian concluded: “Here Trump’s tactics failed, and the people rebuked him.”
Talarico arrived at the Long Center in his customary outfit of a dark jacket, white open-collar shirt and blue jeans. In the main auditorium, he spoke from a lectern mounted with a sign that said: “Love thy neighbor”. He was joined on stage by more than a hundred supporters, some wearing caps or cowboy hats. The Democrat spoke of his tough upbringing, his Christian faith and his hope that Texas, and America, were ready to move on from the Trump era. “We are tired of being told to hate each other,” he said. “It has been 10 years of this kind of politics. Politics as blood sport, politics as trolling and owning, politics as professional wrestling.”
“It tears families apart. It ends friendships, and it leaves us all feeling terrible all the time,” Talarico said. “People across the political spectrum are hungry for a different kind of politics, not a politics of hate. Not a politics of fear, not a politics of division, but a politics of love.” He added: “This is a win the size of Texas. And now we have a mandate the size of Texas.”
A photograph from the night showed Talarico and Hinojosa celebrating at a Whataburger restaurant in Austin.