Democrats are used to heartbreak in Texas - will Talarico turn the tide?

bbc news Nov 1, 2026 06:15 1 min read 4 reads

The state's $500m Senate race may be the most closely watched in the US midterms, and is about far more than control of Congress.

Image shows James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate seat representing Texas — Image caption,
Democrats hope James Talarico, 37, could end a decades-long winning streak for Republicans in Texas Senate races

ByAnthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent

Published10 minutes ago

The race for a US Senate seat in Texas may prove crucial in determining which party controls Congress next year – a significant prize in its own right - but for both parties it represents so much more than that.

For the Democrats, their losing streak in statewide elections now stretches back more than three decades. In the second most populous state in America, liberals have been in the wilderness for a generation.