Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race, the Associated Press called late Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The AP called the race at approximately 10:04 p.m., with Talarico leading with 59.4% of the vote, Houston Public Media reported. The win makes Talarico the first Democrat to capture a statewide office in Texas since 1994 and the first Democrat elected to a Texas U.S. Senate seat since 1988, according to KCRA, citing AP.

Results remain unofficial until certified by the Texas Secretary of State.

North Texas suburbs swung hard

The race hit close to home for Prosper and Celina voters. Collin County, which includes Prosper, swung from a Republican advantage of 11.1 points in the 2024 presidential race to a Democratic lead of 13.3 points in the Senate contest with 78% of the expected vote counted, CryptoTicker reported, citing NBC News and AP data. Denton County, which includes Celina, moved from a 13.2-point Republican edge in 2024 to an 8.8-point Democratic lead with 71% counted.

Those figures compare a partial 2026 count with the full 2024 presidential tally, so the final margins could still shift.

Talarico built his early election-night lead with strong showings in North Texas suburbs and large margins in urban metros, the Texas Tribune reported.

What the seat means for the Senate

Republicans held a 53-47 advantage going into the election. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats for a majority, according to Fox 4. Both parties viewed the Texas contest as one that could decide control of the chamber for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.

More than $570 million in political advertising made this the most expensive Senate race in American history, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Record turnout statewide

More than 7.7 million Texans voted early through the state's 12-day early voting period, the Texas Tribune reported. That amounted to 40.5% of registered voters, the highest midterm early-turnout rate on record in modern-day Texas. The state entered the election with more than 19 million registered voters, a new record, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

The candidates

Paxton, the three-term state attorney general, defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a May 2026 Republican primary runoff after receiving an endorsement from Trump. He has served as attorney general since 2015. The Republican-led Texas House impeached him in 2023 over allegations of corruption and misuse of office, but the Texas Senate acquitted him on all 16 articles. Felony securities fraud charges were dismissed after he completed an agreement requiring restitution, community service and ethics training, Houston Public Media reported. He did not plead guilty.

Talarico, a four-term state representative from the Austin suburbs, is a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian. He led Paxton by a wide margin in fundraising for most of the year, though conservative super PACs offset that advantage with heavy spending in the campaign's final months, Houston Public Media reported.

Libertarian Ted Brown and several write-in candidates also appeared on the ballot.

Official results from the Texas Secretary of State will continue to update as counties report. The new Senate term begins in January 2027.