Democrat James Talarico won a U.S. Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton. The Associated Press reported it as the first Democratic statewide victory in Texas in more than 30 years. Talarico, 37, is a state legislator, a former middle school teacher and a Presbyterian seminarian. He will be Texas' first Democratic senator since 1993 and the Senate's youngest member.
Talarico will replace Sen. John Cornyn, 74, who lost the Republican primary to Paxton. The report said President Donald Trump carried Texas by double digits two years ago. The race was one of the most expensive in the midterm elections, and the report described it as partly a referendum on Paxton's legal, personal and ethical issues.
Paxton has been Texas attorney general for three terms. The report said a federal corruption investigation into him did not result in charges. It also said the Texas House impeached him over accusations of abusing his office to help a political donor, and that he was later acquitted in the state Senate.