James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate contest, while Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Hinojosa will become Texas’ first Latina governor. Democrats also won the offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general, broadening the party’s gains in the state of nearly 32 million residents.

The results also included Democratic congressional pickups, despite a Republican-drawn map that was intended to give the GOP an advantage. Democrats regained counties along the Mexican border, where Republicans had recently made gains among Hispanic voters.

Voters’ concerns over high prices and government corruption helped drive the outcome, according to the reported election results. The defeats dealt a major setback to President Donald Trump’s party in a state that has long been central to Republican presidential prospects.

After his victory, Talarico said the result was a response from Texans who felt unheard. “This win is for every Texan who has ever wondered if anyone is ever listening,” he said. “I heard you. We heard you. And tonight, the world hears you.”

Hinojosa, a state legislator from a liberal Austin district who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, campaigned on affordability, criticism of artificial intelligence data centers and concerns about corruption. Her campaign did not focus on pledges to reverse Texas policy on abortion, gun laws, transgender rights or the use of public money for private education.

New Democratic leadership faces a changed Texas Capitol

Hinojosa’s arrival in the governor’s office could mark a sharp political and cultural change at the Texas Capitol. Over the past decade, the state has enacted one of the country’s strictest abortion laws, expanded immigration enforcement efforts and loosened gun laws, even as Texas experienced some of the nation’s worst mass shootings during that period.

During the campaign, Hinojosa sought to sidestep culture-war debates and emphasized an economy she described as harmed by Trump’s tariffs, as well as opposition to the unpopular war with Iran. She also moved away from the progressive identity she had cultivated in the Legislature.

“The voter have delivered a mandate for change, and it is change they will get,” Hinojosa said. “We will lead with politics of courage, not convenience. Progress will not be halted by partisanship and Texas will bow to no one.”

The statewide Democratic victories prompted concern among Republicans beyond Texas. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is leaving office, described the result as a major loss for the GOP.

“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,” DeSantis wrote on social media. “A huge loss.”

Border counties and younger voters bolster Talarico

Border counties that had moved strongly toward Trump in 2024 shifted back toward Democrats on Tuesday. Republican gains among conservative Hispanic voters largely vanished, according to the reported results.

The AP Voter Poll, which surveyed more than 5,000 Texas Senate voters, found that Talarico won most voters under 30 and most Hispanic voters. About three-quarters of voters younger than 30 supported Talarico, while roughly six in 10 Hispanic voters backed him.

Trump had carried Texas by a double-digit margin only two years earlier. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also lost Tuesday, said the party would need to rebuild after the statewide defeats.

“Going into 2028, the Republican Party of Texas has serious work to do to begin the process of taking our state back from Democrat control,” Patrick said.

In Dripping Springs, outside Austin, 63-year-old registered dietitian Karen Sites and her daughter, Sofia, 21, voted for Democrats. Both said they had approached Election Day cautiously after earlier Democratic predictions of a Texas breakthrough had failed to materialize.

Sofia Sites said support for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights was important to her and her mother because she has a transgender sibling. She also cited frustration with Republican policy on data centers and biodiversity protection. “I’m hopeful,” she said.

Source: Associated Press