Democrats Flip Texas and Ohio Despite GOP Spending

Democrats won Texas’s top statewide contests, overcoming a Republican financial advantage and ending decades of statewide dominance. James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race, while Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, according to election projections and results cited by Fortune. Hinojosa’s victory makes her the first Latina governor of Texas and the first Democrat elected governor there since 1990. The results gave Democrats control of both marquee statewide contests and created a breakthrough in a state where Republicans had maintained a long-running grip on statewide office. The victories also placed Texas at the center of broader debates about campaign spending, voter alignment and the limits of financial advantages. Coverage of the 2026 election and Texas politics will continue to track the significance of the results.

Gina Hinojosa’s victory ended the Democratic drought in Texas gubernatorial elections that had lasted since 1990. She defeated Gov. Greg Abbott in the state’s top contest, according to election projections and results cited by Fortune. With votes still being counted, Hinojosa led Abbott 57% to 42%. Her win also makes her the first Latina governor of Texas, adding a historic dimension to a result that already represented a major partisan shift. The outcome ended decades of Republican control of the governor’s office and demonstrated that Democrats could prevail in a statewide contest despite the state’s recent political history. It also made Hinojosa’s race a central measure of whether Democratic strength had expanded beyond the party’s traditional urban base.

Talarico, 37, became the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since Lloyd Bentsen’s 1988 victory. He defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race, helping Democrats break through in a state where Republicans had maintained statewide dominance for decades. Talarico’s victory also represented a broader statewide milestone for the party, giving Democrats a second major win alongside Hinojosa’s gubernatorial victory. His age and breakthrough status made the result especially notable, while the margin showed that the contest was not merely symbolic. The Senate outcome positioned Talarico as a prominent figure in the state’s changing political landscape and gave Democrats evidence that their statewide coalition could compete in races previously viewed as difficult to win. The result also connected Texas politics to wider coverage of Senate races.

James Talarico became the first Democrat to win any statewide Texas office since 1994. His Senate victory, alongside Gina Hinojosa’s gubernatorial win, overcame a Republican financial advantage and ended decades of statewide dominance. The results marked a breakthrough for Texas Democrats across the state’s two top statewide contests. Taken together, the victories showed that the party’s return was not confined to one office or one candidate. They also created a clear contrast between campaign resources and electoral results, since Republican spending did not prevent Democrats from winning the state’s most prominent races. The combined outcome gave Texas Democrats a stronger statewide foundation and made the election a significant test of whether long-established partisan advantages could be reversed.

Talarico also carried suburban counties that backed Donald Trump in the previous presidential election. Those results gave Democrats evidence that the state’s political alignment shifted beyond a single candidate’s strength. The suburban-county victories expanded the significance of Talarico’s statewide win and suggested that Democratic gains were not limited to areas already favorable to the party. Instead, the results pointed to movement in communities that had recently supported Republican presidential candidates, making them important indicators for future statewide contests. The county-level pattern did not erase Texas’s broader Republican history, but it showed how changes among suburban voters could reshape statewide outcomes. Alongside Hinojosa’s victory, Talarico’s performance suggested that Democratic candidates had found a coalition capable of competing across more of the state.