Texas Democrats won the governor’s office, the U.S. Senate seat and other statewide contests while taking control of the state House in Tuesday’s midterms, ending decades of Republican dominance. State Rep. James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate seat, and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott. Democrats also defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and won the attorney general’s office. Republicans retained the Texas Senate, leaving the state with divided government [texastribune.org][wral.com][pbs.org]. Hinojosa campaigned on affordability and public education, while Democrats also raised health coverage and data center regulation. Lawmakers meet in January 2027, when Republicans will still control the Senate. Hinojosa has backed Medicaid expansion, which requires legislative approval [defendernetwork.com][vox.com][texasstandard.org]. Highlights: • Early turnout: More than 7.7 million Texans cast ballots before Election Day, including mail votes, exceeding 40% of the state’s 19 million registered voters [texasstandard.org][houstonpublicmedia.org]. • Medicaid reach: KFF estimates 1.1 million Texans could qualify for Medicaid expansion, including 605,000 with no other insurance option; expansion eligibility would extend to 133% of the federal poverty level [vox.com]. • Latino shift: James Talarico carried Hidalgo County by 46 percentage points after President Trump won it by 3 points in 2024, according to CNN’s analysis [krdo.com]. • Campaign fundraising: Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter, compared with $18 million for Paxton [cw39.com]. • House margin: Democrats entered election night with 62 of the Texas House’s 150 seats and needed to flip 14 to take control; early results put them on track for a potential 83-67 majority [texastribune.org]. Perspectives: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican: Cruz warned that Democratic proposals to halt new AI investment could make Texas less attractive to businesses, and said Republicans should rebuild after the losses [thehill.com]. (The Hill) Wendy Davis, former Texas state senator: Davis called the results a repudiation of President Trump’s agenda and said Abbott paid a price for aligning with the administration’s immigration policies [npr.org]. (NPR) Mark Jones, Rice University political scientist: Jones said Trump and his policies were the central explanation for the Democrats’ gains, while Republican redistricting may also have mobilized voters in some areas [pbs.org]. (PBS NewsHour) Nathan Johnson, Texas attorney general-elect: Johnson said he would not use the attorney general’s office to pursue culture-war lawsuits and would sue the Trump administration if it breaks the law [alternet.org]. (AlterNet) "We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas" — James Talarico, Texas state representative and senator-elect Sources: • Democrats just broke GOP’s grip on Texas. What comes next? - thehill.com • Texas Election: What Went Wrong for Republicans? - dailysignal.com • What's the future of the Democratic party in Texas, amid historic midterm wins? - npr.org • Democrats Flip Texas House Amid Generational Wave - politicalwire.com • Talarico, Hinojosa win Texas for Democrats amid wide discontent over ICE tactics, more - cbsnews.com • Democrats win full control of more state governments and the Texas House - pbs.org • Texas Democrats Prepare to Relearn a Skill: How to Govern - nytimes.com • A million people could gain health insurance in Texas after Democrats’ shocking win - vox.com • Texas Republicans Get Washed - theatlantic.com • Cruz warns 'Texans will be hurt' after 'blue tsunami' - thehill.com • Elon Musk moved to Texas to escape Democrats — now they’re in charge - reddit.com • The Night that Texas’s Seemingly Unchangeable Republican Identity Vanished - newyorker.com • Dem sweep puts notorious MAGA court trick out of business in Texas - alternet.org • Ted Cruz calls midterm election results a ‘Watergate-level repudiation’ of the GOP, warns ‘Americans will be hurt’ by radical Dems - nypost.com • A million people could gain health insurance in Texas after Democrats’ shocking win - reddit.com • Democrats retake Texas for first time in decades - perthnow.com.au • First Time in Generations, Democrats Flip Republican Bastion Texas - deccanchronicle.com • Texas turns blue as Democrats brew historic wins in Congress and governorship races - thenationalnews.com • Democrats deliver a stunning rout in Texas to retake power for the first time in decades - wral.com • ‘Total Repudiation’: Dems Sweep Texas’ Top Battleground Tarrant County in Historic Rout - texasobserver.org • Texas Standard for Nov. 4, 2026: Texas Democrats score historic wins across the state - texasstandard.org • Talarico flips Texas Senate seat, beating Paxton in blow to Trump - cw39.com • Texas turns blue: Hinojosa, Talarico deliver historic Democratic victories - defendernetwork.com • Democrats Make History as Texas Turns Blue After 32 Years - nairobinews.co.ke • Democrats seize power in Texas, ending decades of GOP dominance - texastribune.org • US midterms: Democrats flip Texas, reclaim Congress as Blue wave hits Trump hard - indiatoday.in • How Texas Democrats scored historic wins across the state - kutkutx.studio • Talarico Turns Texas: Democrats Bag Historic Senate Win After 1988 - thequint.com • Democrats Flip Texas With Stunning Midterm Election Victories - nytimes.com • Democrats sweep all Texas statewide offices for first time in decades - wzzm13.com • Republicans confront a game-changing possibility: They can no longer count on Texas - krdo.com • Texas election results: Democrats break decades-long losing streak in Texas as Talarico wins Senate race, Hinojosa unseats Abbott - texasstandard.org • Nem csak egy pofon jutott Texasban a republikánusoknak - privatbankar.hu • Democrats flip Texas House amid generational wave - texastribune.org • Il Texas cambia colore, storica vittoria Dem - sky.it • Texas turned blue. Which Republicans still came out on top? - chron.com • Democrat Wins Race for Texas Governor in Tectonic Upset - daytondailynews.com • Democrats break decades-long losing streak in Texas as Talarico wins Senate race, Hinojosa unseats Abbott - houstonpublicmedia.org • Texas leaders respond to Democratic victories in historic Election night - ketk.com • Texas Democrats flip House for first time in more than 20 years. Here's what a Houston lawmaker says fueled the shift - khou.com • Texas Wins - austinchronicle.com • Talarico turns Texas blue in historic win for Democrats - wfla.com • Lone Star turns blue: Democrats Talarico, Hinojosa topple Texas Republicans - citizen.co.za • Modrá vlna sa potvrdila, Demokrati dostali obe komory kongresu a otočili aj bašty Republikánov - reddit.com • Texas turns blue in stunning rebuke of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and GOP - japantimes.co.jp • Is Texas now a blue state? | The voting shifts behind a historic election - khou.com • Democrats turn Texas blue - wkyc.com • 2026 midterms: James Talarico, the Christian Democrat who sent a political earthquake through Texas - lemonde.fr • Slate Crossword: Democrat James Who Just Flipped a Senate Seat in Texas!?!? (Eight Letters) - slate.com • Expect Ted Cruz to suck up to James Talarico - alternet.org • Trever Nehls to replace brother Troy representing Texas in House - thehill.com • Democrat James Talarico wins election to U.S. Senate from Texas - channel3000.com • Democrat James Talarico defeats Republican Ken Paxton in Texas U.S. Senate race - tri-cityherald.com • James Talarico becomes first Democrat to win statewide in Texas since 1994 - brecorder.com • Texas Democrat James Talarico wins U.S. Senate seat - newsday.com • Democrat James Talarico ends 32-year losing streak in Texas - minutemirror.com.pk • U.S. Senate race in Texas: Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico - khou.com • Democrat James Talarico wins US Senate seat, ending GOP’s 32-year Texas statewide winning streak - texasstandard.org • US Midterms: James Talarico Stuns Trump Ally Ken Paxton To Win Texas Senate Race, Ending 38-Year Democratic Drought - news18.com --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News