Democrats won both of Texas' top races Tuesday night, according to projections by The Associated Press, NBC News and CBS News. State Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. John Cornyn, and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. NBC News projected the Senate race at 10:52 p.m. ET and the governor's race at 11:07 p.m. ET.
Abbott conceded to Hinojosa just after 11 p.m. ET, and the AP called the race shortly after, CNBC reported. Abbott called Hinojosa to concede, two sources told CBS News. Paxton also conceded, according to CNBC.
What the Left Is Saying
Before the polls closed, Talarico predicted the Texas Senate results would "shock the world," CBS News reported. He ran on a message centered on wealth disparity and corruption and integrated Christian themes into his campaign, according to NBC News.
Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, who advises the Talarico and Hinojosa campaigns, had predicted, "There's a Hispanic hurricane coming," CBS News reported.
What the Right Is Saying
Cornyn, who lost his primary to Paxton after Trump backed the attorney general, congratulated the winner on X. "The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate," Cornyn wrote. "I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate."
Trump told The New York Times he did not regret some of his primary endorsements of candidates who lost Tuesday, including Paxton, according to NBC News. Ahead of Election Day, Paxton told supporters that most polls showed the race was "going to come down to the wire," CBS News reported.
What the Numbers Show
Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, according to the NBC News Exit Poll, and the first Democrat elected to statewide office since 1994, NBC News reported. The exit poll found Talarico won 64% of Texas Latinos, up from 47% for the Democratic Senate candidate in 2024, and 73% of voters who said their family's finances are worse than two years ago.
NBC News reported that Talarico overcame a $168 million ad assault and took commanding leads in Collin County, which Trump won by 11 points in 2024, and in Denton County. In Webb County on the border, Talarico was up by almost 50 points with about two-thirds of the votes in, according to NBC News.
Hinojosa's win returns the governorship to Democrats for the first time since 1995, according to NBC News, and will make her the state's first Hispanic governor. Abbott's campaign outspent her by tens of millions of dollars, NBC News reported.
The Bottom Line
The two Texas results were among the night's biggest upsets as Democrats won control of the House and Senate, according to network projections. Results are projections by the outlets named and could shift as remaining ballots are counted. This story will be updated.