Texas Democrats Win Statewide Offices and Flip House

Democrats made major gains in Texas’s 2026 midterm elections, winning the governorship and other statewide offices and flipping the state House, while Republicans retained control of the state Senate. The results shift power in Austin, but the Senate’s Republican majority limits how quickly the incoming administration and lawmakers can change state policy. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott for governor by about seven percentage points, according to one account. James Talarico won the U.S. Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton, and Democrats also won the lieutenant governor and attorney general contests. The reports characterize the statewide victories as a historic Democratic sweep, though the supplied accounts do not establish final certified results for every race. Democrats were reported to have won at least 21 Texas House races previously held by Republicans, with three contests still too close to call in one account. The change gives Democrats control of at least one chamber of the state legislature for the first time since 2002. Republicans, however, kept the Senate, preserving a legislative obstacle to proposals that require approval...