Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, the Marshall News Messenger reported. The Associated Press called the race for Talarico shortly after 10 p.m.
The win ends a Democratic drought in U.S. Senate races in Texas that dated back to 1988, the story said. The report said Talarico's lead was larger than his narrow polling lead before Election Day and that Democrats were positioned to gain ground in the Texas House and local offices.
Talarico, 37, is a four-term state legislator from Austin and a former middle school teacher. The story said President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton, and that Republicans spent more than $280 million on advertising in the race, including more than $200 million from Elon Musk. The story described it as the most expensive U.S. Senate contest on record.