Democrat James Talarico flipped a US Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, defeating Republican Ken Paxton to pull off the party’s first statewide victory in more than 30 years.
A large crowd erupted in cheers at Talarico’s watch party in downtown Austin after the race was called.
The 37-year-old former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian campaigned on a message of “politics of love”, challenging Republican dominance in one of America’s most conservative states. Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988.
In his victory speech in Austin, Talarico portrayed the campaign as a battle against powerful political and financial interests, crediting ordinary Texans for helping him overcome the odds. “In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington DC establishment”, he said.