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U.S. Senate · Texas

Statewide, Texas

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

James Talarico, projected winner

CandidateVotesShare
James Talarico5,447,06955.1%
Ken Paxton4,250,66443%
Ted Brown190,3231.9%

About 99% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) lost the Republican primary runoff to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 63.8% to 36.2%, on May 26, 2026. James Talarico won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan.[1]
  • As of September 2026, major election forecasters (Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Decision Desk HQ) rated the general election a Toss-up. Talarico had raised $68.6 million and Paxton had raised $9.25 million in campaign contributions as of September 2026.[1]

On the November 3 ballot · 3 candidates

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Protect legal access to abortion

  • James Talarico
    Supports[7]

    Campaign platform calls for federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception and IVF.

  • Ken Paxton
    Recorded votes[2]

    As a Texas state senator, voted yes on HB 2, which required abortion facilities to meet ambulatory-surgical-center standards, required admitting privileges at nearby hospitals for physicians performing abortions, and banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

  • Ted Brown
    —

Stricter gun laws

  • James Talarico
    Supports[8]

    Campaign platform calls for universal background checks for gun sales, secure storage around children, and a higher purchase age for certain semi-automatic rifles.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

  • James Talarico
    Mixed[9]

    Campaign platform calls for prioritizing deportation of criminals, gang members and human traffickers while creating legalization pathways for some immigrants and banning masks for ICE agents.

  • Ken Paxton
    Supports[13]

    Campaign website says he will champion legislative priorities including securing the border and deporting people in the country illegally.

  • Ted Brown
    —

Raise taxes on high earners or corporations

  • James Talarico
    Supports[1]

    Says he would pay for a cost-of-living tax cut by closing tax loopholes and making the wealthiest Americans and large corporations "pay their fair share."

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Expand public health coverage

  • James Talarico
    Supports[7]

    Campaign platform calls for letting every American join Medicare and for protecting the Affordable Care Act and reversing cuts to ACA enhanced tax credits, Medicare and Medicaid.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

  • James Talarico
    Supports[10]

    Campaign platform calls for reinstating federal tax credits and loans that accelerate renewable energy development, while also streamlining permitting for energy projects.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Public funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)

  • James Talarico
    Opposes[1]

    Says he will fight against a national school voucher program, describing it as diverting funding from public schools to private education.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Raise the minimum wage

  • James Talarico
    Supports[11]

    Campaign platform calls for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Continue U.S. military aid to Israel

  • James Talarico
    Mixed[12]

    Campaign platform calls for stopping offensive weapons sales to the Israeli government while supporting defensive systems such as the Iron Dome.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Broad tariffs on imported goods

  • James Talarico
    Opposes[12]

    Campaign platform calls for repealing or rolling back the Trump Administration's tariff policies.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Universal, publicly funded child care

  • James Talarico
    Supports[1]

    Supports free pre-K for all three- and four-year-olds and investments in childcare for children under three.

  • Ken Paxton
    —
  • Ted Brown
    —

Bar transgender women and girls from women's and girls' school sports

  • James Talarico
    —
  • Ken Paxton
    Supports[13]

    Campaign issues page says he will oppose what it calls a transgender movement seeking to place transgender athletes in girls' sports.

  • Ted Brown
    —

Research notes & limits

Minor/independent candidates (Ted Brown, Libertarian; several independent write-in candidates) are not profiled in depth; see Ballotpedia for the full list. Paxton's 2023 impeachment and acquittal is a matter of public record but was not sourced directly for this file. Biography pass: Libertarian nominee Ted Brown (chosen at the April 11, 2026 Libertarian convention, per Ballotpedia) is on the general-election ballot but has no entry in this file; the existing claim that Paxton had a '14 years' private law practice was removed because no source supports it (Wikipedia says he opened his own practice in 2002).

Sources · 29

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Senate Journal, 83rd Legislature, 2nd Called Session, Day 3 (HB 2 final passage, Yeas 19 Nays 11) · Texas Senate · 2013-07-12 Official record
  3. 3.House Journal, 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, Day 41 (SB 14 final passage, Record No. 156) · Texas House of Representatives · 2011-03-24 Official record
  4. 4.H.R. 2377 (88th Legislature) — Impeaching Warren Kenneth Paxton: bill history · Texas Legislature Online · 2023-05-27 Official record
  5. 5.Senate acquits Attorney General Paxton · Texas Senate · 2023-09-16 Official record
  6. 6.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton impeached, suspended from duties · The Texas Tribune · 2023-05-27 News report
  7. 7.Health Care · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  8. 8.Public Safety & Justice · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  9. 9.Immigration & Border Security · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  10. 10.Energy & Environment · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  11. 11.Labor & Business · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  12. 12.Foreign Policy · Talarico for Texas campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  13. 13.Issues · Ken Paxton for Senate campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
  14. 14.James Talarico · Ballotpedia Reference
  15. 15.Texas House of Representatives: Rep. Talarico, James - Biography · Texas House of Representatives · 2026-10-19 Official record
  16. 16.Meet James Talarico - Talarico for Texas · Talarico for Texas · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
  17. 17.Talarico wins Texas Senate Democratic nomination while Cornyn and Paxton head to Republican runoff · WTOP News (Associated Press) · 2026-10-19 News report
  18. 18.James Talarico · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  19. 19.Texas U.S. Senate election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  20. 20.United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  21. 21.Ken Paxton · Ballotpedia Reference
  22. 22.Ken Paxton's felony case dismissed after completing pretrial diversion program · FOX 7 Austin News report
  23. 23.H.R. 2377 (88th Legislature) — Impeaching Warren Kenneth Paxton: bill history · Texas Legislature Online · 2023-05-27 Official record
  24. 24.Senate acquits Attorney General Paxton · Texas Senate · 2023-09-16 Official record
  25. 25.About Ken Paxton · Ken Paxton for Senate Candidate's own words
  26. 26.Ken Paxton · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  27. 27.U.S. Senate · Texas results 2026 · NBC News News report
  28. 28.United States Senate election in Texas, 2026 - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
  29. 29.U.S. Senate · Texas results 2026 · NBC News News report