Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race, the Associated Press called on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The AP called the race at approximately 10:04 p.m., with Talarico leading with 59.4% of the vote, Houston Public Media reported. Talarico is the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994 and the first Democrat elected to a Texas U.S. Senate seat since 1988, according to KCRA, citing AP.

Results remain unofficial until certified by the Texas Secretary of State.

Harris County turnout surged

Voters across Harris County, which includes Spring, turned out in force. More than 1 million people in Harris County cast early ballots, representing 39% of the county's registered voters, the Houston Chronicle reported. That topped the previous early-voting high of 855,000 set in 2018.

Statewide, more than 7.7 million Texans voted early during the 12-day early voting period, the Texas Tribune reported. That amounted to 40.5% of registered voters, the highest midterm early-turnout rate on record in modern-day Texas.

Texas entered the election with more than 19 million registered voters, a new state record, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

Senate control at stake

The race could help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. Republicans held a 53-47 advantage going into the election, according to Fox 4. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats for a majority.

More than $570 million in political advertising made this the most expensive Senate race in American history, according to the Dallas Morning News, citing ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

The candidates

Paxton, the three-term state attorney general, defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a May 2026 Republican primary runoff after receiving an endorsement from Trump. He has served as attorney general since 2015, Houston Public Media reported.

Talarico, a four-term state representative from the Austin suburbs, is a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian. He led Paxton by a wide margin in fundraising for most of the year. Conservative super PACs offset that advantage with heavy spending in the campaign's final months, Houston Public Media reported.

Libertarian Ted Brown and several write-in candidates also appeared on the ballot, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

Official results will continue to be updated as counties report. The new Senate term begins in January 2027.