On an Election Day when national Democrats had monumental momentum, the results in Texas were a breed apart and could reshape the road to the White House in 2028.
uncertain
results → have → 2028
Both James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa broke the Republican Party’s hold in deep-red Texas.
asserted
Talarico → break → Texas
But the losses didn’t stop there.
asserted
losses → stop → ?
When all the ballots are counted, Texas Republicans may be on the receiving end of something approaching a wipeout.
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Republicans → count → wipeout
It’s a stunning turn that proves in one fell swoop that years of Democrats’ optimism in someday flipping Texas were not foolhardy.
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years → ’ → Texas
Even Texas Republicans gifted last-minute gerrymandered districts in U.S. House races were not immune to the national mood.
asserted
Republicans → gift → mood
For Democrats, it was a dividend long invested.
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it → invest → Democrats
Year after year, Democrats kept insisting that this would be the cycle that would break the Republican fever in the state.
asserted
that → keep → state
And year after year, they woke up the day after Election Day feeling like Charlie Brown trying to kick Lucy’s football.
asserted
they → wake → football
Eight years ago, Democrats went all-in on Beto O’Rourke’s bid for Senate against incumbent Ted Cruz.
asserted
Democrats → go → Cruz
O’Rourke came within three points of prevailing.
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O’Rourke → come → prevailing
Six years later, Cruz won another term by more than eight points.
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Cruz → win → points
Still, Democrats have long insisted that Texas is not a state of Republican voters.
asserted
Texas → insist → voters
It’s a state of non-voters.
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It → ’ → voters
Tuesday’s results finally proved that thesis.
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results → prove → thesis
The shift could have seismic consequences for the 2028 presidential map.
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shift → have → map
Texas has 40 votes in the Electoral College, or roughly 15% of the haul needed to win the White House.
asserted
Texas → have → House
If Democrats can sustain their success in Texas, that suddenly means other traditional swing states could prove optional.
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states → sustain → Texas
And both parties may find themselves having to invest heavily in the massive and pricey state to pin down Texas’ electoral votes every four years.
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themselves → find → votes
Talarico’s win caps an intense Senate race that broke the nation’s longest statewide dryspell for Democrats, who last won statewide in Texas in 1994.
asserted
who → cap → 1994
Talarico is also the first Democrat to be elected Senator by Texans since 1988.
asserted
Talarico → elect → 1988
Hinojosa is the first Democrat to win the Governor’s Office since 1990.
asserted
Hinojosa → win → 1990
That was when the governorship was won by Democrat Ann Richards, who then lost it to George W. Bush, beginning a Republican hold on the state's executive seat that would last for three decades.
asserted
that → win → decades
Gov. Greg Abbott, a fixture in Texas politics dating to the 1990s who had amassed a massive warchest, lost.
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who → date → warchest
Dan Patrick, long seen as an invincible figure in Republican circles, was positioned to lose the powerful office of Lieutenant Governor.
asserted
Patrick → see → Governor
The state Attorney General could also end up going to a Democrat by the time all the votes are counted.
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votes → end → time
Even seats on the Texas Supreme Court were positioned to flip blue, a first since 1994.
asserted
seats → position → 1994
It was a very good night for Democrats from coast to coast as voters resoundingly rejected Republicans’ embrace of President Donald Trump, whose polling on Election Day was at record lows.
asserted
polling → reject → lows
But it was particularly potent in Texas, thanks in no small measure to Trump’s intervention in the GOP primary to nominate the scandal-plagued Ken Paxton, the state’s outgoing attorney general.
asserted
it → nominate → Paxton
Even in Texas, 77% of voters said they were not adherents of MAGA, according to exit polls.
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they → say → polls
The same surveys found more than half—54%—said Trump did not have the mental capacity to effectively do his job.
asserted
Trump → find → job
The night was also a massive defeat of billionaire Elon Musk, who spent $224 million on Texas races.
asserted
who → spend → races
That proved completely ineffective to keep his state tilted solidly Republican.
asserted
That → prove → state
Now, Republicans in Texas—and Washington—face the unenviable task of trying to consider how they could get to 270 electoral votes if Texas’ 40 aren’t a lock.
uncertain
40 → face → votes
The Aporia
