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● InformationalElections / Campaigns

Texas Democrats think this is finally the year they'll flip the Senate

Paxton won the Republican runoff and is the candidate Democrats hope to defeat in November.

Texas Democrats think this is finally the year they'll flip the Senate
Image · Yahoo News

SOURCE CHECK

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Host credibilityYahoo News76/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 6, 2026

Credibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.

Republished

Republished from Politico. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.

Politico82/100 HIGH

204 stories · 82–83 · updated Oct 5, 2026

This is Politico's own score, and this article is credited to Politico. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.

Yahoo Newsvia Politico
May 27, 2026
tl;dr

Texas Democrats see the 2026 Senate race as a rare chance to win statewide, with James Talarico facing Republican nominee Ken Paxton. The article weighs Democrats’ optimism against Texas’s history, Paxton’s vulnerabilities and the campaign’s potential liabilities.

Community verdict

VOTING CLOSED
How does this story look for
Ken Paxton R · TX
NOT RATEDCLOSED

No good or bad look here

This story reports what happened without casting Paxton in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Paxton’s record.

● INFORMATIONAL

People in this story

SWIPE →
Ken Paxton
R · TX

Republican Senate candidate in Texas and state attorney general

PRIMARY SUBJECT

Democratic Senate candidate in Texas

Talarico's version of this story ↗

Former Texas state senator and former gubernatorial candidate

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President whose leadership is cited as a factor in the political environment and who endorsed Paxton

Chuck Schumer
D · NY · SEN

Senate minority leader, described by Paxton as a force behind Talarico

MJ Hegar
D · TX

Former Democratic Senate candidate in Texas

Ted Cruz
R · TX · SEN

Texas senator who defeated O'Rourke and Allred in earlier elections

Beto O'Rourke
Former U.S. Representative (D-TX)

Former Texas representative and Democratic Senate candidate

John Cornyn
R · TX · SEN

Texas senator defeated by Paxton in the Republican Senate runoff

Colin Z. Allred
Former U.S. Representative (D-TX)

Former Texas representative and Democratic Senate candidate

ALSO MENTIONED  George W. Bush, Former U.S. president; Greg Abbott, Texas governor and Davis’s opponent in the 2014 gubernatorial race; Royce West, Texas state senator who urged Talarico to avoid culture-war issues

Part of a bigger story

40 OUTLETS
Ken Paxton Wins Republican Senate Runoff in Texas

Outlets agree Ken Paxton defeated incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Republican Senate runoff, winning the party’s Senate nomination. They report he will face Democrat James Talarico in November. Left-leaning outlets focus on Paxton’s victory speech, including his remarks about transgender youth and the criticism they drew, while one warns Trump’s role could complicate Republicans’ efforts to hold the seat. Center outlets mostly report the result and November matchup, with some coverage examining the race’s competitiveness and scrutiny facing Paxton. Right-leaning outlets cast the win as a boost for Trump-aligned Republicans and a setback for the party establishment.

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