Democrats Sweep Texas Statewide Races and Flip House

Democrats swept Texas’s top statewide races in the November 3 midterm election, with Gina Hinojosa defeating Gov. Greg Abbott and James Talarico defeating Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate seat. The victories ended decades of Republican dominance in statewide offices and put Democrats in control of the Texas House, while Republicans retained the state Senate. Hinojosa, a state representative, unseated Abbott, who was seeking a fourth consecutive term. Talarico, also a state representative, beat Paxton, the state attorney general. The result makes Talarico the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988, according to election reporting. The Democratic gains extended across the statewide ballot. Reports said Democrats won the lieutenant governor’s office and other statewide executive races, including attorney general. Nathan Johnson defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in the attorney general race, according to election-night coverage. The results also shifted the balance in the Texas House: by November 5, multiple accounts said Democrats had flipped the chamber for the first time since 2002. One preliminary tally reported at least 21 Democratic pickups, with...