Texas elects first Democrat to Senate since 1988

Democrats achieved sweeping victories in the 2026 midterm elections, including flipping multiple Republican-held Senate seats and governorships, in a decisive repudiation of former President Donald Trump. Texas elected Democrat James Talarico to the Senate, the first from the state since 1988, while Gina Hinojosa became the first Latina governor. Democrats also won Senate races in Maine, South Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and New Hampshire, with several historic firsts, including the first Muslim senator and first openly gay man elected to the Senate. The rout extended to governorships, with Georgia electing the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. Republican lobbyists called the results a "disaster of the first magnitude," while progressive candidates also made gains in mayoral races, including in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.