Democrat James Talarico is projected to pull off an enormous upset against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and win the Senate race in the Lone Star State.

Decision Desk HQ made the call at 10:14 p.m. EST.

The projected Talarico victory is the third flip of the evening for Democrats in the upper chamber.

Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control of the Senate.

The Hill shared further:

It is also a huge blow to Republicans in general, and specifically to President Trump, who endorsed controversial Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a contentious GOP primary runoff.

ADVERTISEMENT

Many Republicans saw Cornyn as the much safer pick, and will believe that in endorsing Paxton, who easily defeated Cornyn in a primary after the endorsement, the president helped deliver a historic victory to Democrats.

Talarico, the 37-year-old state lawmaker, was seen as Democrats’ best chance in years to break through the GOP’s domination of statewide seats.

Talarico’s measured bid focused on a unity message, leaning into his faith and experience as a Presbyterian seminarian and former public school teacher. He was one of the Democratic state legislators who fled Texas last year in a bid to stall GOP-friendly redistricting and drew comparisons to Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who came within a few points of ousting Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2018.

Ahead of Election Day, the Democrat narrowly led in DDHQ’s polling averages, and forecasts signaled he was slightly favored to pull it off after raising a staggering $64 million in the third quarter of the year, compared to Paxton’s $18 million.

The huge upset follows the stunning defeat of Republican Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina.

BREAKING: Democrats Projected To Flip GOP Stronghold In Monumental Senate Upset

Democrats also flipped North Carolina after former Gov. Roy Cooper defeated former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley.

BREAKING: Democrats Flip Senate Seat In Swing State

"The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate," Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) commented.

Watch below:

More from The Telegraph:

Mr Talarico pitched his campaign against Mr Paxton as a “David and Goliath” battle, with Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire who runs his business empire out of Texas, pouring an estimated $168m (£125m) into the Republican candidate’s campaign.

It made this year’s Texan Senate race the most expensive battle in American history. In the end, Mr Talarico’s campaign slogan – “Texas is not for sale” – emerged the victor.

ADVERTISEMENT
 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.