The numbers tell the story of a massive shift in Texas politics. A Texas Senate seat won by a Democrat for the first time since 1988 went to James Talarico. This result breaks a nearly four-decade Republican grip on the seat, according to NBC News.
The race topped $500 million in ad spending, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in U.S. history, per The Daily Caller. According to RedState, a 2018 turnout record was broken when more than seven million Texans cast early ballots.
Both sides poured record cash into the contest. The Daily Caller observed that Elon Musk, the tech mogul, allocated roughly $212 million to aid Paxton. A $168 million gift to the Senate Leadership Fund was part of that total. History’s biggest haul for any Senate candidate was achieved by Talarico, who collected $64 million in the third quarter. Republican outside groups spent over $360 million to back Paxton. Through late October, Democratic groups poured over $133 million into advertisements backing Talarico.
During his Midterm Blitz, President Donald Trump organized three state rallies to champion Paxton’s candidacy. Despite this high-profile support, the money could not secure the win. An AdImpact analysis announced $573.2 million in total ad expenditures for this Senate race. The sheer volume of cash changed how voters saw the race.
Talarico faced fierce attacks regarding his past views. RedState mentioned that conservative organizations attempted to ensure the label “Talafreako” would adhere like glue. They showed voters videos of his past statements like, “God is nonbinary,” “There are more than 47 genders,” and his love of transgender children. The Daily Caller reported he also claimed the biblical account of Jesus’ conception just before leaving the trail for a “nasty case of the flu.” He was gone for nine days in October.
Despite these attacks, Talarico ran on issues like raising the federal minimum wage and lowering housing costs. He also pushed for border security and tax breaks for childcare providers. Reason Magazine noted that Talarico has since disavowed some of his earlier radicalism. He now calls himself a “proud capitalist” after previously describing free-market capitalism as an “oppressive system” linked to “white supremacy.” The shift in messaging seemed to work for him.
Decision Desk HQ forecasted Talarico’s Senate victory once 70 percent of precincts had reported results. RedState indicated that at the time of writing, he led Paxton 55 percent to 43 percent. With 68% of votes tallied, Decision Desk HQ verified Talarico earned 55.3% against Paxton’s 43%.
Daily Signal reports this is the inaugural instance a Democrat has occupied the seat since 1988. Talarico beat Paxton, the Republican primary victor who had previously bested incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The result ends a three-decade Republican hold on the state, NBC News projects.
