Democrats win U.S. Senate seat, governor’s office in Texas

In the Republican stronghold of Texas Tuesday, Democrats won. And then won some more.AUSTIN, Texas — In decisive victories in major races Tuesday night, Texans elected Democrats. The state hadn’t elected a Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate since 1988 — a year before its new senator-elect, James Talarico, was born. And in an upset that left many stunned, Texas state Representative Gina Hinojosa was elected to be its new governor. She’s the first Democrat to hold the office since 1995 and also makes history as the first Latina governor of Texas.The state was part of a blue wave that swept the nation and, as of Tuesday evening, looked to promise the Democrats control of both the U.S. House and Senate.Democrat James Talarico, who is also a Texas state representative, had 55% of votes, with 83% reporting as of 10:30 p.m. Central time, beating Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had 43% of the vote.Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, ran on a platform that focused on fighting corruption in politics, challenging the influence billionaires have in the government, lowering taxes for the middle class, and working to improve the nation’s education and health care systems, among other issues.“We just took back Texas. We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love,” Talarico said in his victory speech at the Long Center in downtown Austin, Texas.Paxton has been the state’s attorney general for three terms, during which he was indicted for felony securities fraud charges — which were dropped after a pretrial agreement — and accused by many of his own top deputies of bribery, abusing his office and corruption. Those claims that were investigated by the FBI. The Justice Department ultimately declined to prosecute. The Republican promised to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda if elected.Paxton conceded the race to Talarico.“I will commit that I will be praying for him, that he will do good for Texas and this nation,” Paxton said in his concession speech.This story is developing and will be updated … Categories / UncategorizedSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads