Texas Senate Election Results: Talarico Beats Paxton. Is the Result Official?
Did you vote in Texas on November 3? You may be asking whether the US Senate result is final. Democrat James Talarico won, but the count is not certified yet.
Texas Senate election results show James Talarico (D) beating Ken Paxton (R). The Associated Press called the race at about 10 p.m. CT on November 3. Paxton conceded about 16 minutes later, around 10:20 p.m. CT. With 97.4% counted, Talarico led 55.1% to 43.0%, and Libertarian Ted Brown had 1.9%. That gives Talarico a 12.1 point margin in the Talarico Paxton Senate race.
Those numbers are unofficial. Early counts are not certified. Each county must first finish its canvass, which means totaling and checking its local returns. Only after that does the state certify final results. Until then, the figures can still change. Check the Texas Secretary of State website for final numbers. If you have questions about your own ballot, contact your county election office. For background, read our Texas election certification explainer.
When does Texas certify election results? The governor conducts the state canvass, and the Secretary of State (SOS) certifies the tabulations. Per an SOS advisory, the state canvass window is Nov. 21 to Dec. 7, 2026. Is the Texas Senate result official? Not yet. It becomes official only when the state certifies it.
Talarico is the first Democrat elected to the US Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, the last Democratic Senate win. The last Democratic statewide win was in 1994, when Ann Richards won the governor’s race. For past winners, see our prior Texas Senate results.
Who did Talarico beat? He beat Republican Ken Paxton. The AP call came at about 10 p.m. CT on November 3. At the time of the call, Talarico had 59.4% of the vote. At 97.4% counted, he led with 55.1% to Paxton’s 43.0%. Paxton’s primary campaign is covered in our Paxton primary coverage.
To recap, James Talarico won the Texas Senate race over Ken Paxton. The result is not certified yet. Counties must finish their canvasses, and the Texas Secretary of State must certify statewide totals. We will update this page with certified figures when they are released.
