Democrat James Talarico won the Texas U.S. Senate race over Republican Ken Paxton, according to results reported Tuesday night. The story said it is the first time a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election in Texas since 1988. In the governor's race, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott conceded to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Abbott had sought a fourth term.
More than 7.4 million Texans voted during the two-week early voting period, according to the Texas Secretary of State's Office and the Associated Press. Including mail ballots, more than 7.7 million votes were cast before Election Day, or over 40% of the state's 19 million registered voters.
Talarico, a former public school teacher, said, "We just took back Texas." Paxton said in his concession speech that he would pray for Talarico's success. Hinojosa, an Austin state representative, said, "As your governor, I will never forget it."