ELECTION 2026 · TEXAS UPDATE
Texas Election Update: Talarico’s Reported Win and What Comes Next
The reported outcome, the latest checked totals and the official steps still ahead.
Democrat James Talarico won Texas’ U.S. Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton, according to media projections reported by Reuters. That is a reported election outcome. The government’s final canvass remains a separate step.
The checked Texas snapshot
The Texas secretary of state’s results page, marked November 4 at 4:59 p.m. Texas time, listed these unofficial totals. All three races showed 100% of polling locations reporting.
| Race | Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate | James Talarico (D) | 5,444,982 |
| Ken Paxton (R) | 4,249,373 | |
| U.S. House, District 12 | Craig Goldman (R) | 144,438 |
| Angela “Heli” Rodriguez Prilliman (D) | 127,456 | |
| U.S. House, District 25 | Roger Williams (R) | 142,721 |
| Dione Sims (D) | 122,854 |
The Senate rows show the two major-party candidates, rather than every candidate on the ballot. Goldman and Williams were ahead in the posted House returns; we are describing that snapshot, not certifying those races.
Where redistricting fits
Roll Call reported Wednesday afternoon that Democrats had held four of the five congressional seats Republicans targeted through redistricting and flipped two Republican-held seats. The map was intended to expand Republican representation. Its design did not guarantee the result.
Congressional districts determine who competes for each House seat. Texas’ Senate contest is statewide. We should keep those two contests separate when assessing what the map changed.
What happens next?
Texas’ election advisory puts local canvasses between November 6 and 17. The state canvass for federal, statewide and district races falls between November 21 and December 7. Those windows explain why a race can have a reported winner before its totals are final.
For later changes, compare the official page’s timestamp and the same race in each update. A changed total needs context: additional eligible ballots, a correction or another documented step. A screenshot alone does not explain which.