James Talarico, a Democratic state representative from the Austin area, defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race. Talarico secured 60 percent of the vote, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
Where
Statewide
When
November 3, 2026
Sources
Reported by 36 outlets
Taxes and money
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Super PAC fundingabout $88 million5Who pays or receives it: Forward Texas super PAC (Talarico-aligned)
Super PAC contribution$12 million5Who pays or receives it: Reid Hoffman
Super PAC contribution$10 million5Who pays or receives it: Mark Cuban
Super PAC contribution$8 million5Who pays or receives it: Michael Bloomberg
PAC contribution$10 million5Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk's trust to Paxton-aligned PAC
Senate Leadership Fund contribution$158 million5Who pays or receives it: Elon Musk to Senate Leadership Fund
Who's involved
James TalaricoDemocratic state representative from Austin area, winner of Texas U.S. Senate race
Ken PaxtonRepublican Attorney General, loser of Texas U.S. Senate race
The facts
Talarico, 37, is a former teacher and Democratic state representative from Austin area.5
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Gina Hinojosa won election as Texas governor and another Democrat won U.S. Senate from Texas for the first time since 1988 and 1990 respectively. Gov.-elect Hinojosa stated she will maintain a freeze on new data center authorizations ordered by outgoing Governor Greg Abbott.
$nearly nine million dollars for campaign contributions
Gina Hinojosa, Governor-elect; Talarico, U.S. Senate-elect (first name not given); Jorge Renaud, Voter and 5 more
Texas senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live's cold open, interrupting a sketch about President Donald Trump's midterm loss. Comedian Druski hosted the episode with musical guest The Strokes.
James Talarico, Texas senator-elect who appeared in the cold open; Druski, Host of Saturday Night Live; James Austin Johnson, Actor playing Trump in cold open sketch and 2 more
Democrats won a landslide victory in Tuesday's midterm election. Voters in 10 states rejected data center expansion in 40 of 41 local ballot measures. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor, the first Democrat since 1990, and pledged a statewide moratorium on data center approvals.
$$4.4 billion for debt owed by CoreWeave
Gina Hinojosa, Governor-elect of Texas, Democrat; Michael Intrator, CEO of CoreWeave; Democrats, Party that won midterm election and 1 more
Beto O'Rourke told Texas Democrats after their election victories Tuesday to pass three policies in the 2027 legislative session: expand Medicaid, raise the state minimum wage, and increase public school teacher salaries.
Beto O'Rourke, Democratic political figure; Texas Democrats, party members
Erica Romick, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 93, won the election with 50.5% of votes versus Republican Alan Blaylock's 49.5%, despite suspended campaign. Romick has a 2011 felony conviction in North Carolina for mortgage fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, raising questions about her eligibility under Texas law.
Erica Romick, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 93; Alan Blaylock, Republican candidate for Texas House District 93; Lane Telford, Executive director of the Texas Democratic Party and 1 more
James Talarico, who won election to the U.S. Senate from Texas on November 3, made a surprise appearance in Saturday Night Live's cold open on November 7, appearing alongside cast members playing Democratic leaders and President Trump.
James Talarico, Senator-elect from Texas; James Austin Johnson, SNL cast member playing Trump; Sarah Sherman, SNL cast member playing Chuck Schumer and 4 more
Matthew Shane Zachary was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a homicide at a residence in Gaines County. The Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers are leading the investigation with assistance from the Gaines County Sheriff's Office.
$$750,000 for bond
Matthew Shane Zachary, Suspect arrested and charged with murder; Gaines County Sheriff's Office, Law enforcement investigating homicide; Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers, Leading the investigation
Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa said in a CNN interview that the state should pause work with data centers until protections for residents are in place. She promised to introduce laws to change the state's approach and said communities should have a role in deciding whether data centers are built there.