For many election cycles, Democrats have hoped they could win a statewide race in Texas, or even turn the state blue in a general election. But cycle after cycle, their hopes have been dashed.
On Tuesday night, that finally changed when Democrats ended their long losing streak in the Lone Star State.
President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion in support of Wisconsin farmers at Custer Farms in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Friday, June 5, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Donald Trump Back in 2016 Creative Commons Photo
Democrat James Talarico won the Senate race, defeating Attorney General Ken Paxton, in what was seen as a strong possibility going into the night.
But in a much bigger surprise, Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott to become Texas’ first elected Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1990.
The state hadn’t elected a Democrat to any statewide office since 1994, nor had a Democrat won a Senate seat since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
But the Democratic wins in Texas didn’t end there. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was also defeated, as was railroad commissioner candidate Bo French, who had made what was widely denounced as a racist social media post about South Asians attending a Texas football game.
Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected to succeed Paxton as the state’s attorney general, while Democrats won a majority in the Texas House, although Republicans kept control of the Senate.
The Texas Tribune described it as a “blue tsunami of epic proportions,” one that transformed “the largest, most influential red state and [ended] the longest statewide shutout of any political party in the country.”
How It Happened
A few big reasons drove the political earthquake in Texas. One was the national environment, with President Donald Trump widely unpopular and a major enthusiasm gap between the voters in his party and the Democrats.
It was enough to deliver massive change in a state that Trump had won by over a million votes in 2024, continuing a streak of Republican presidential candidates carrying Texas in every election since Jimmy Carter won it in 1976.
But another reason was candidate quality.
For several years, Paxton was one of the most scandal-plagued politicians in the country, and at one point he faced an impeachment trial that he won.
New York magazine, the week before the election, reported that many Republicans in Texas wanted their Senate candidate to lose.
Meanwhile, Talarico, despite a year’s worth of mockery from his Republican opponents, a bruising primary battle, and a bizarre smear campaign in which he was falsely accused of doing a stint in a mental institution, proved an attractive candidate whose message resonated with Texans.
With President Trump’s backing, Paxton beat incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a veteran Senator who had crossed the president.
Hinojosa also proved appealing as a challenger to Abbott, who had never come close to losing in any previous run for governor.
Still, the result shocked political observers.
“Nothing could have prepared either side for what happened Tuesday night — a full flip of statewide political control on a scale unseen in this state since Reconstruction,” the Texas Tribune said of the result.
In addition, the state’s demographics have changed, both racially and due to an influx of transplants from other states, including many tech workers from California.
What Comes Next?
Another question after the surprising result is what this means for Texas going forward.
Will it be a swing state in the future?
Will Democrats have any hopes of capturing its 40 electoral votes, without which the GOP probably has no hope of winning a presidential election?
“Whether or not Texas is truly a battleground state now, a few things have become clear,” The Atlantic wrote in a post-election analysis. “Republicans can no longer take Texas voters for granted.”
Other lessons, per that analysis, are that Trump hurt his own party’s chances by backing the wrong horse in Paxton, and that the hundreds of millions of dollars that Elon Musk sunk into the state appeared to do nothing to deliver his desired outcome.
The result suggests Trump may not be the political force he once was, especially after his election victory two years ago.
“The fact that he keeps telling everyone to vote like he’s on the ballot is absolutely insane,” Jarrod Atkinson, a Republican activist in Texas, said of the president. “He has said some of the dumbest things that have ever been uttered.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
