Democrats deliver a stunning rout in Texas to retake power for the first time in decades

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats finally got their wish in Texas.

Shut out of power for decades, Democrats on Tuesday romped up and down the ballot in Republicans’ most populous stronghold, flipping a U.S. Senate seat, retaking the governor’s mansion and cinching control of the state House in a history-making election that ushered in an overnight resurgence for a party that has spent much of the last 30 years fighting for scraps.

The stunning victories showed how voters, frustrated over high prices and concerned about government corruption, soundly rejected President Donald Trump’s party and handed Democrats a decisive foothold in a fast-changing state of nearly 32 million residents that is one of the world’s 10 largest economies. The dominant showing included winning back counties along the border with Mexico — where Republicans had been making inroads with Hispanic voters — and flipping congressional seats even though Republicans gerrymandered the map to give them an upper hand.

“This win is for every Texan who has ever wondered if anyone is ever listening,” Democrat James Talarico said after handily winning his Senate race over Republican Ken Paxton, the state’s scandal-plagued attorney general.

“I heard you. We heard you. And tonight, the world hears you,” Talarico said.

Texas Democrats hadn’t won a statewide campaign since 1994 and now have breakout stars in Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, who ousted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in a victory that will make her Texas’ first Latina governor. They also won the powerful offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general, widening the validation for Democrats’ long deferred dream that demographic changes in the state would be followed by a shift in political power.

By Wednesday, Democrats had also erased Republicans’ majority in the Texas House to seize control of the chamber, breaking a GOP hold that dated to 2003.

On a national level, the loss will set off alarms for Republicans, who depend on winning Texas in presidential election years to maintain a path to the White House. In Florida, outgoing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis took stock of the damage.

“Texas has been the most significant Republican state this century. A Democrat sweep of statewide races — and possible capture of the Legislature — takes away one of the anchors of the modern GOP,” DeSantis posted on social media. “A huge loss.”

Putting the victory into action is the challenge for Democrats now

How Hinojosa governs is likely to open a dramatic political and cultural shift in the Texas Capitol, which over the last decade has passed one of the nation’s strictest abortion laws, increasingly aggressive immigration crackdowns and relaxed gun laws even as Texas was the site of some of the nation’s worst mass shootings over the past decade.

Democrats didn’t win in Texas with promises to turn back the clock on issues like abortion, guns, transgender rights and diverting public tax money to private education. Instead, they ran on more populist ideas of affordability and railing against artificial intelligence data centers and corruption.

“They should expect to see us doing the people’s business and working on the things we have been fighting for all these years,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

“People are tired of the bullies, tired of the nonsense issues that matter to no one except the far, far right,” Wu said.

Hinojosa, a state legislator who represents a liberal Austin district and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley along the border with Mexico, distanced herself from the proud progressive brand she carried in the statehouse. She instead batted away culture war issues for populist stances on an economy battered by Trump’s tariffs and an unpopular war with Iran.

“The voters have delivered a mandate for change, and it is change they will get,” Hinojosa said. “We will lead with politics of courage, not convenience. Progress will not be halted by partisanship and Texas will bow to no one.”

Border counties swung from Trump in 2024 back to Democrats

Democrats got a huge swing in votes in border counties that had shifted strongly, and surprisingly, to Trump two years ago. Gains that Republicans had made with conservative Hispanic voters largely disappeared Tuesday.

The AP Voter Poll, an expansive survey of more than 5,000 Texas Senate voters, found that Talarico built a diverse coalition — winning most young voters and Hispanic voters in the state. This year, about three-quarters of voters under 30 voted for Talarico, as did roughly 6 in 10 Hispanic voters.

Just two years ago, Trump had won Texas by double digits.

“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,” said Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also lost Tuesday.

Outside of Austin, Karen Sites, a 63-year-old registered dietitian and her daughter Sofia, 21, both voted for Democrats in the suburb of Dripping Springs. Both had gone to the polls saying they were holding their breath after previous proclamations by Democrats that they would retake Texas never came to fruition.

Sofia has a transgender sibling and said Talarico’s support of transgender and LGBTQ+ rights was something that drew both of them to his campaign. She said she was also frustrated with Republicans’ policies on data centers and protecting biodiversity.

“I’m hopeful,” she said.