How Democrats turned Texas blue

Ashley Wu, Daniel Wood, Albert Sun, Marco Hernandez, Minho Kim, J. David Goodman and Lauren McGaughyDemocrats swept Texas in 2026, winning top statewide offices, flipping the state House and taking counties across rural, suburban and urban areas.Every Texas county moved left, including Republican strongholds like Collin and Denton, while 13 rural counties flipped from red to blue.The shift was driven by young, Asian and Latino voters. Democrats won Hispanic voters by 42 points, hurting Republican hopes after redistricting.NEW YORK – It was not just that James Talarico won the US Senate race or that Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott, the three-term governor. Up and down the ballot, Democrats swept Texas, winning all of the top statewide offices.They also flipped the Texas House of Representatives.Get unlimited access to exclusive stories and incisive insights from the ST newsroom