After decades of Democratic efforts, Texas has turned blue.
For the first time since 1994, Democrats have been elected to statewide offices in Texas as part of a seismic shift across the Lone Star State just two years after President Donald Trump carried the state by 14 points in 2024.
Led by state Sen.-elect James Talarico’s victory in his race against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa’s upset of incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, Democrats swept every statewide office up for election in Texas, breaking Republicans’ seemingly unshakeable hold on the state as part of what’s been described by national media outlets as a once-in-a-generation “ blue wave .”
“This win is for every Texan who has ever wondered if anyone is ever listening,” Talarico, who garnered an estimated 55% of the state’s vote, said in his victory speech. “I heard you. We heard you. And tonight, the world hears you.”
In her victory remarks, Hinojosa — who defeated Abbott by just over seven percentage points — said that it was time to look forward toward Texas’ future.
“The nation will look at Texas and say we won something far more important than an election,” Hinojosa said. “They will look at Texas and say that faith in government has been restored. They will look at Texas and see the power of a government that lifts every single person up and never punches down. We will build a government more honest, more just and worthy of the people who call Texas home. And we will never forget the simple truth that brought us here tonight: Texas belongs to the people of Texas.”
Both Paxton and Abbott publicly conceded on Tuesday evening — as did other Republican candidates.
“I love our state,” Abbott said in his concession speech . “It’s been an honor to serve it, and know that we are leaving Texas in far better shape than it’s ever been.”
Locally, Brazos County — which Abbott said “ is red ” in his visit to the county’s chapter of the Republican Party last month and was roughly +25 in favor of President Donald Trump in 2024 — swung in favor of both Talarico and Hinojosa, opting for the former by six percentage points.
It’s the first time since 1982 that Brazos County has voted a Democrat for governor — part of a shift both statewide and nationwide that saw Democrats elected to positions that they haven’t held in decades.
“We’re seeing a wave,” Texas Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt told The Battalion before Talarico’s rally at Texas A&M on Oct. 30, which featured multiple downballot Democrats. “We’re seeing an incredible level of enthusiasm that’s infectious. And frankly, it’s not about just one candidate. We’re seeing a political realignment. It’s not about party. It’s about having a state government that actually represents all Texans instead of just the wealthy donor class.”
Legislature results Nationally, the Democrats also gained control of both houses of Congress, earning at least 54 senate seats with a substantial majority of house seats with the senate races in Mississippi and Alaska yet to be called by the Associated Press at time of publication.
Republican Chris Gober ‘01 narrowly defeated Democrat Caitlin Rourk in Texas’ 10th Congressional District, winning the race to succeed Rep. Michael McCaul, who did not seek reelection.
Gober — a lawyer for Elon Musk’s America PAC, among other clients — told The Battalion before his primary election that his goal in office would be to focus on issues including AI and economic competition with China.
“So many of those things are going to come to a head and need to be dealt with over the next four to six years and that could really set the stage for maybe a millennium,” Gober said. “ … I feel like I maybe missed a very critical moment in history if I do not do this, and at a time where I think that we need a new generation of leadership.”
In the state legislature, incumbent Republican Charles Schwertner defeated Democrat challenger Paul Thomasson in Texas’ Senate District 5.
But in Texas House District 14, Democrat Janet Dudding held a narrow lead of just 315 votes over incumbent Republican Paul Dyson, with all Brazos County precincts reporting in and just absentee and mail-in votes remaining.
Regardless of Dudding’s result, Democrats broke Republicans’ two-decade-long hold on the Texas House, the Associated Press reported on Nov. 4 .
“We are holding steady and waiting on the last votes to land,” Dudding told The Bryan-College Station Eagle on Tuesday evening with the race in a dead heat. “We’ve run this race on a platform of ethics and accountability, and the closeness of this race shows that those are values that resonate. We are cautiously optimistic and grateful for all of the grassroots support that brought us this lead.”
The aftermath and blame game The historic result quickly prompted both celebration from Democrats and infighting amongst the Republican Party.
Trump — who repeatedly told voters to “vote as if I’m on the ballot” — took to social media to critique Abbott and other Republicans on election night, calling him a “Republican in name only.”
“If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican seeking a fourth term in office alongside Abbott, was ousted by Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin and turned his sight toward the future as he conceded.
“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 an election night statement posted on social media. “Their democratic socialist policies will fail, as they have in every country in the world.”
But some defeated Republicans quickly resorted to finger-pointing.
“I blame this on @GregAbbott_TX. I blame it on @DanPatrick . I blame it all on our leadership. Thinking they’re going to go for four terms as Governor. Four terms as Lt. Governor. Seriously?! If they campaigned on lowering your property taxes all that did is remind everybody why you didn’t do it 12 years ago.” – @DonHuffines #txlege
— Michael Olaya (@michaelaolaya) November 4, 2026
“I blame this on Greg Abbott, I blame it on Dan Patrick,” Republican Texas Comptroller Don Huffines — who lost his reelection bid to Eckhardt after being appointed to the role of comptroller mere months ago — said at his election night watch party. “ … People are tired of the Republicans being in office. They couldn’t campaign on a policy issue. If they campaigned to lower your property tax, guess what? All that did was remind everybody you didn’t do it 12 years ago.”
Meanwhile, Talarico said that he will be focusing on “bipartisan service” during his time in Congress, citing his record as a state representative.
“I look forward to being a senator for all 31 million Texans — including Ken Paxton, including the Texans who didn’t vote for me,” Talarico said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday morning. “I want to serve them, too. I want to fight for them, too. I want to make their lives easier and better and less stressful. I am not going to Washington to represent the Democratic Party. I am going to Washington to represent this beautiful state and every person who lives here.”
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