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US Politics

Democrats win Texas Senate seat and governorship as Latino voters swing back

Democrats also regained majorities in the House and Senate, Axios reports, as Latino voters who helped Trump in 2024 moved away from Republicans.

10 news outlets reported this
Liberal5 outletsLatino voters' rebuke of Trump reshaping Texas politicsCenter1 outletlittle coverageConservative4 outletsRedistricting backfire and Latino men shifting to Democrats
Published 3 min read
Overview

Democrats won races across Texas in Tuesday's elections, and Latino voters moved away from Republicans. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton for a seat, and Democrat Gina Hinojosa ousted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Politico reports Democrats swept Texas' statewide offices after winning none since 1994.

Axios and the Daily Caller report Democrats regained majorities in and Senate. In South Texas, Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer, defeated Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, CBS News projects. Democrat Johnny Garcia won the redrawn 35th District over Republican Carlos De La Cruz, who had Trump's endorsement and conceded.

Republicans had redrawn Texas' in 2025 at Trump's urging. Axios says the results reflected "some of the anger" among Hispanics over high prices and the administration's immigration enforcement. Politico says Latino voters were unhappy with the economy and "furious" over Trump's immigration enforcement.

Axios reports an NBC News exit poll put Latino Democratic identification at 43%, against 39% in 2024. The Daily Caller, citing the same poll, says 58% of Latino men voted for Democrats and 39% for Republicans.

Key figures
  • 43% Latino voters identifying as Democrats, up from 39% in 2024, per NBC exit poll — Axios
  • Fifty-eight percent Latino men who voted for Democrats, versus 39% for Republicans, per NBC exit poll — Daily Caller
  • 28 points Hispanic shift toward Democrats since 2024, per The New York Times — Daily Caller
  • about 62% Pulido's vote share in Texas' 15th District — Time
  • 77 percent Talarico's vote in Starr County, Texas — Politico

Three sides of the story

Liberal5 outlets

Latino voters' rebuke of Trump reshaping Texas politics

Politico's headline quotes Democratic Latino operative Sergio Gonzalez: "This is an earthquake." Its report says Latino voters "unhappy with the economy and furious over Trump's immigration enforcement" left the Republican Party across . It places the epicenter in Texas and quotes Rep. Henry Cuellar on "a political realignment," while also citing Javier Palomarez's warning that the night should alarm both parties.

Axios headlines "Latinos' rejection of boosts Dems in Texas upsets," lays out exit-poll numbers and county margins, then adds a "reality check": Democrats' 16-point edge in Latino party identification is below their 33-point edge in 2018. Time argues the results show Latino voters "still looking for a political home," pointing to Pulido's win and polling on economic strain and worries. CBS News reports Pulido's defeat of Rep. Monica De La Cruz and recalls her quinceañera remark and his 75 performances.

Center1 outlet

Outlets on this side gave the wider story little coverage, and The Seattle Times ran a short report on Garcia's win in Texas' 35th District.

Conservative4 outlets

Redistricting backfire and Latino men shifting to Democrats

The Daily Caller centers on Latino men: 58% voted Democratic and 39% Republican in an NBC News exit poll, after Trump's 2024 gains. It adds that The New York Times measured a 28-point Hispanic shift toward Democrats since 2024. Its report says voters soured on Trump's handling of three issues: the economy, the Iran war and government corruption.

It credits that mood for what it calls "historic wins" for Democrats. The Daily Wire's headline, "GOP Redistricting Yields Democrat Gains In South Texas," says the 2025 map backfired amid a "blue tsunami," and it quotes University of Texas at San Antonio professor Jon Taylor calling Latino voters "swing voters." It also carries Talarico telling Fox News that Democrats "took the Latino vote for granted."

Fox News reports Garcia's win as a "rebuke" of the redistricting shakeup and quotes his post on X. Townhall posts Garcia's and De La Cruz's statements, including De La Cruz saying "the people have the final say."

All sources: 11 articles from 10 outlets

Liberal (6)

Center (1)

Conservative (4)

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