Texas Democrats win Senate and governor races after 30 years

Democrats have pulled off a stunning victory in Republican Texas: James Talarico beat state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for the US Senate, and Gina Hinojosa became the state’s new governor. According to NPR and PBS News, Democrats will hold both offices for the first time in more than three decades.

Talarico vs. Paxton and Trump

Talarico served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives and was seen as Democrats’ best hope of ending the Republicans’ long dominance of the state. He faced more than just Paxton: Republicans, together with Donald Trump, spent millions of dollars on the campaign. Of all the Democrats, Trump criticized Talarico most often, NPR reports.

For Paxton, it is the first election defeat of his career. In the primary, backed by Trump, he beat incumbent Senator John Cornyn. But it was his close ties to the president that ultimately worked against him, NPR concludes: Trump’s popularity has dropped noticeably this year, mainly because of the war with Iran he started and the resulting rise in fuel prices.

Hinojosa’s unexpected triumph

Democrat Hinojosa’s win in the governor’s race was even more unexpected. According to PBS News, Democrats will hold this office in Texas for the first time in more than thirty years as well. Observers say her success shows that in the 2028 presidential election Texas may no longer be a “guaranteed state” for Republicans.

Trump looks for someone to blame

Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott is among the most influential Republicans in the country. He is also a loyal Trump supporter, yet in the president’s post-election criticism of losing Republicans, Abbott was his main target. Ironically, Trump accused the governor of bringing about his own defeat by speaking out against him.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz