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James Talarico

James Talarico

Incoming U.S. senator from Texas

Appears in 6 stories

Office: Member of the Texas House of Representatives
Born: May 17, 1989, Round Rock
Party: Democratic Party
Education: McNeil High School, University of Texas at Austin, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Last updated Nov 10, 2026

Election night

James Talarico won: U.S. Senate, Texas.

Against Ken Paxton (R) · Cook rating: Toss Up

See the race

Stories

Supreme Court lets $7.5 billion Big Bend border construction resume

Rule Changes

Opposes the Big Bend barrier project.

The Supreme Court let the Trump administration resume border-barrier construction across the Big Bend region on November 9, staying a district judge's injunction while the lawsuit continues. The unsigned opinion said the government was "exceedingly likely to prevail" because the lower court probably had no power to hear the case.

Updated Yesterday

2026 midterms bring a wave of firsts to the U.S. Senate

Rule Changes

Set to be sworn in January 2027

Democrats flipped both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterms, and the Senate class arriving in January will look unlike any before it. It includes the first Muslim senator, the first Native American woman senator, the first openly gay man elected to the Senate and the Senate's first Paralympian.

Updated 3 days ago

Gina Hinojosa wins Texas governor's race, ending 31 years of Republican control

Rule Changes

Won Senate seat on the same night

Gina Hinojosa, an Austin state representative, defeated Gov. Greg Abbott on Nov. 3, becoming the first Democrat to win the Texas governor's office since 1995 and the state's first Latina governor. She has started a bipartisan transition and named former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes, who helped block Abbott's school voucher plan in 2023, to her team.

Updated 3 days ago

Democrats win Congress as local votes restrict data centers

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Senator-elect from Texas

Democrats won control of the U.S. House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterms, with results reported through Nov. 5. They also won governorships in Texas, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Iowa.

Updated 4 days ago

James Talarico wins Texas Senate seat, first Democrat since 1988

Rule Changes

Won Texas Senate seat; will take office January 3, 2027

James Talarico, a 37-year-old state legislator and former middle school teacher, beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas's Senate race on November 3, 2026. Final returns showed Talarico with 55.1% to Paxton's 43%, a 12.1-point margin and the first Democratic Senate win in Texas since 1988.

Updated 5 days ago

Democrats win Congress as Kansas and Texas flip Senate seats

Rule Changes

Won Texas Senate seat

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress on Nov. 3, 2026, flipping at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts, the Associated Press reported. The Senate wins included Kansas and Texas, where Democrats had not won Senate seats since 1932 and 1988, and South Carolina, where Annie Andrews was projected to become the state's first Democratic senator in almost three decades.

Updated 6 days ago