Democrat James Talarico is projected to win the U.S. Senate race in Texas, defeating Republican Ken Paxton on Tuesday. If the projection holds, Talarico would be the state's first Democratic senator since 1993. He would also be the Senate's youngest member. He is 37, a state legislator and a former middle school teacher.
Talarico would replace Sen. John Cornyn, 74, who lost the Republican primary to Paxton. Democrats needed to gain four seats to take control of the Senate. Paxton has served three terms as Texas attorney general. A federal corruption investigation into him did not result in charges, according to the story. The Texas House impeached him over accusations that he abused his office to help a political donor. He was later acquitted in the state Senate.
Talarico campaigned on an economic message and criticized billionaires he said were corrupting politics. Elon Musk, a Texas resident, spent heavily backing Paxton. The race was one of the most expensive in the midterms.