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The Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2026 Midterms
The Winners Made History. The Losers Learned That Money, Power, and Presidential Loyalty Have Their Limits
Winners
1. James Talarico — Texas
James Talarico’s victory in Texas may be the most consequential individual Senate result of the entire election. By defeating Republican Ken Paxton, Talarico accomplished something Democrats had spent decades trying to do: win a Texas statewide election. The last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, and the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas was in 1994. Talarico’s victory was particularly significant because he did not merely defeat an ordinary Republican candidate. He defeated Paxton, a prominent conservative figure backed by Donald Trump and substantial financial support from Republican donors and billionaire interests. Texas has been central to Republican presidential politics, congressional redistricting, and the Party’s strategy for maintaining national power. Losing a Senate seat there is therefore more than losing one vote in Congress. It raises…
