Democrats Flip Texas Governor and Senate Seats in Midterms
Democrats won the Texas governorship and a U.S. Senate seat while defeating Republican redistricting efforts in the 35th Congressional District.
Democrats secured major victories in Texas during the 2026 midterm elections, flipping the governorship and winning a U.S. Senate seat for the first time since 1988. Gina Hinojosa won the race for Governor of Texas, leading incumbent Greg Abbott to concede the race on Tuesday night. Simultaneously, James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton to win a U.S. Senate seat, overcoming a Republican effort backed by Elon Musk, who spent approximately $250 million supporting GOP congressional campaigns.
In the House, Democrat Johnny Garcia won Texas' newly redrawn 35th Congressional District, defeating Republican Carlos De La Cruz. Garcia, a Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy, won despite a 2025 redistricting effort urged by President Donald Trump that aimed to flip the seat by creating a district that would have favored Trump by 10 percentage points in 2024. De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran endorsed by Trump, conceded the race to Garcia.
These results are part of a wider national trend where Democrats flipped governorships in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and Iowa, and secured at least 252 House seats. Following their victories, Talarico and Hinojosa celebrated with a visit to Whataburger.
