State lawmaker beats Jasmine Crockett in fiercely contested election marked by record turnout and confusion at polls

James Talarico won the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, capping a remarkable rise from state lawmaker and seminary student to the party’s standard-bearer in one of the key races of the 2026 midterm cycle.

With his blend of faith-based populism, bipartisan appeal and generational energy, Talarico defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a firebrand beloved by the party’s base but who struggled to dispel concerns that she could defeat a Republican in a state that has not elected a Democrat statewide in more than 30 years.

A jubilant Talarico told supporters in Austin before the race was called: “We are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working.”

  • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
    62·
    21 hours ago

    Ah, but you’re forgetting that this is america where if a white man wins any competition against a black woman, the only conceivable reason has to be racism.

    If people vote based on the merits of the individuals’ policy platforms or who they receive their funding from, then it’s racism plain and simple. Only the people whose voting choices are entirely based on skin color aren’t racist. Anything else is colorblind racism.

    In case it isn't clear:

    /s, but some people do insist on this unironically