AUSTIN, Texas — As election results appeared on screens around the room, Richard Torres, a lifelong Democratic voter, watched closely. When state Rep. James Talarico was declared the winner over Ken Paxton, Torres sat down to absorb the news.
Torres once chaired the Williamson County Democratic Party. Talarico grew up in the county and went to high school in Round Rock. Still, Torres said he never expected Texas Republicans to be swept aside by a Democratic wave.
“We started seeing some changes, but not what we expected tonight,” Torres said. “We didn’t expect this.”
Asked why Texas had shifted so quickly, Torres pointed to President Donald Trump and said the result should make state Republicans reconsider their direction.
“I think it sends a message that they’re on the wrong track, and they’ve been for a while,” he said. Torres added that Republicans had continued to support Trump despite concerns about his presidency and the ongoing war. “This is a referendum against Trump.”
Talarico and other Democrats, including Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa, broke the Republican hold on several Texas races. Their gains also dealt Republicans in Congress a major setback as the party’s majorities in both chambers weakened on election night.
Talarico defeated Paxton by more than 12 percentage points, or over a million votes. Trump had carried Texas by nearly 14 points in 2024.
The result depended in part on support from voters who had usually backed Republicans. James, a longtime GOP voter, said he chose the Democratic candidate this time.
“I’ve been a Republican my whole life, but I’m voting Democratic this year because I think we need to,” he said. “The Republicans have lost their way, I believe.”
At the watch party, upbeat music and busy mobile bars reflected the crowd’s excitement. But some voters remained wary. Democrats had come close to winning a Texas Senate race in 2018, when Beto O’Rourke narrowly lost to Sen. Ted Cruz. For many, the disappointment that followed that campaign was still fresh.
As the results came in and the crowd grew louder, Beverly, a longtime Texas voter, said she saw the night as a turning point beyond the state.
“This feels like a now-or-never moment in the entire United States,” she said. “We either turn things around or we might as well kiss it all goodbye.”
