From the Associated Press: State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in an expensive and fiercely contested Texas Senate Democratic primary that once again has the party dreaming of a big upset in November.
Who Talarico will face depends on a May runoff between longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton — a race expected to get increasingly nasty over coming months and could hinge on whether or not President Donald Trump offers an endorsement.
Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, on Tuesday kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
No Democrat has won a statewide race in the reliably Republican state in over 30 years, but in a statement after his victory, Talarico proclaimed “We’re about to take back Texas.”
The GOP primary was nearly a tie between Cornyn and Paxton, with Cornyn getting 41.9% of the vote, and Paxton receiving 40.7%.
Rep. Wesley Hunt received only 13.5% of the vote, and has conceded the race. Since he ran for Senate, he will now lose his seat in the House at the end of this year, but vowed Tuesday night, “This will not be the last time you see my name on a ballot. I can assure you.”
BREAKING: Sen. John Cornyn and AG Ken Paxton are headed to a runoff in Texas’ GOP Senate primary, CBS News projects. https://t.co/fMpROLdOB0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 4, 2026
Now, either Cornyn, 74, or Paxton, 63, will face off against the “rising star” Democrat James Talarico, 36.
In the Democrat primary, Talarico defeated Crockett, as he received 52.8% of the vote, compared to just 45.9% for her.
James Talarico has won the Texas Democratic primary election for Senate, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/uwrT6xECjd
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 4, 2026
Crocket was already claiming Tuesday night that there was cheating in the election.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is now blaming cheating for why she certainly will be losing her bid for Texas Democrat Senate nominee to James Talarico.
Kalshi is giving Talarico a 90% chance of winning and Crockett only 10%.
Crockett is fired!pic.twitter.com/Wr8GjVrQVB
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 4, 2026
Prominent X user Tony mocked Crockett’s loss by sharing a video she had posted earlier of herself dancing in the halls of Congress.
I can’t believe this didn’t work 😭 pic.twitter.com/WsUXgLRlCK
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) March 4, 2026
BREAKING: State Rep. James Talarico wins the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas. https://t.co/0tX8b99ZDW
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2026
READ MORE from the Associated Press.
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
