James Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett to secure the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Texas, the Associated Press called Tuesday, clarifying the matchup for November. Talarico, a seminarian and state lawmaker, celebrated the win in Austin, saying the result offered a measure of hope for the state.
The Republican primary did not produce a majority winner, setting up a May 26 runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. With more than 80% of precincts reporting, Cornyn had about 42.1% of the vote, Paxton roughly 40.9% and Congressman Wesley Hunt about 13.2%, according to AP tallies.
The Texas Senate contest drew national attention as one of the year’s highest-profile races. Democrats see a rare opening to capture a statewide office in Texas for the first time in more than three decades, while both parties treated the primaries as a measure of their direction heading into midterms that will shape control of Congress.
The GOP fight featured competing appeals to the pro-Trump Republican electorate. After advancing to the runoff, Cornyn warned supporters that President Trump’s agenda was at stake and criticized Paxton as a risky choice for the party. Cornyn is pursuing a fifth Senate term; if re-elected and he serves the full term, he would become Texas’s longest-serving senator, surpassing Democrat Morris Sheppard. Observers say Cornyn’s long tenure is a double-edged sword—giving him seniority and institutional standing but also making him seem out of step as the party shifts.
Paxton, who was once impeached and later acquitted, has either led or been neck-and-neck with Cornyn in much of the polling over the past year. He has accused Cornyn of cooperating with Democrats on issues such as gun policy and cast himself as the tougher, more ideologically driven conservative. Political strategists say a runoff could favor Paxton because the voters who turn out for runoffs tend to be more ideologically motivated and part of his base.
A Cornyn loss in the runoff would remove the incumbent advantage and create a rare pickup opportunity for Democrats; they need a net gain of four seats to reclaim the majority in the Senate.
Talarico, 36, is an eighth-generation Texan with a background as a San Antonio middle school teacher and a recent Master of Divinity graduate from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. First elected to the Texas House in 2018 after flipping a Trump-leaning district, he helped lead a Democratic walkout during a 2025 special legislative session over redistricting and announced his Senate bid after that session ended.
Crockett entered the race after Republican-driven redistricting effectively moved her district. Known in Congress for her outspoken exchanges with Republican colleagues, Crockett’s candidacy drew national attention and reshaped a contest Talarico had already entered. The primary began cordially but grew more contentious as outside money and attention increased. The two Democrats largely agreed on policy but clashed over strategy: Talarico emphasized appealing to moderates, disaffected Republicans and less-traditional Democratic voters—often invoking his faith—while Crockett argued for maximizing turnout among core Democratic constituencies.
Results were delayed in Dallas County, Crockett’s home base, where hundreds of voters were reportedly turned away after showing up at the wrong precincts. Local GOP officials required voters to cast ballots at their specific precinct locations rather than countywide sites sometimes used during early voting; a county judge ordered polls to stay open two extra hours, pushing back results in an already tight primary.
The Texas primary rivals became the costliest in state history. Tracking group AdImpact Politics reported nearly $99 million in combined spending across both parties as of mid-February, second only to the 2022 Arizona Senate primary nationally; Cornyn’s campaigns and ads made up a large share of that total. Spending has continued to climb, with candidates and outside groups running heavy advertising and attack campaigns.
The outcome will also offer a window into Republican standing with Latino voters in Texas, an expanding and influential bloc. Polling has suggested Latino voters — both in Texas and nationally — are shifting away from the GOP over concerns about the economy and immigration enforcement, a trend Democrats hope to exploit this cycle.