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**How did Democrats flip Texas? **An exclusive new poll details how James Talarico won over voters — and how disastrous Donald Trump’s support for Ken Paxton turned out to be.
Presbyterian seminarian James Talarico trounced Attorney General Ken Paxton by a whopping
12 pointsin the Texas Senate race, a victory that Democrats still have a hard time wrapping their heads around. Winning the Lone Star State had been an elusive pipe dream for Democrats for decades. On Tuesday, however, there was a glitch in the matrix: Democrats wonevery singlestatewide office up for grabs — and there’s hope that Texas couldeven be in play in 2028.
The historic win by Talarico and other Texas Democrats offers lessons for how the party can win over voters in the years to come, even in states that they never imagined would turn blue.
Character played a major role in Democrats’ victory. Talarico spent much of his campaign convincing voters that he’s an honest and trustworthy politician with integrity, even describing his scandal-plagued opponent as a “
▶child of god.” His message of unity seemed to resonate with voters, according to a poll conducted by the Searchlight Institute, a center-left think tank.
Nearly a quarter of Texas voters ranked honesty and trustworthiness as a major factor in who they would vote for, according to the poll, which was first shared with Crooked Media. That matched how much voters cared about the cost of living, inflation, and the economy.
Voters also thought Talarico would do a better job in Washington. On which candidate voters believe would “work with both parties to get things done,” Talarico led by 30 points. He led by similar margins on who would “work to bring change to Washington” and “work to lower costs for regular people in Texas,” according to the poll.
**Trump’s decision to endorse Paxton, an incredibly unlikeable candidate, proved fatal, **according to the poll.
Talarico’s ability to distance himself from the Democratic Party’s brand — which has been deeply unpopular with voters for years — was key to his victory. He proved to be more popular than the party by
13 points. Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who ousted Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), was also more popular than the party by 10 points.
Both Dems staked out positions that broke from their national party. For example, Talarico pledged to protect the state’s oil and gas production, and framed his immigration policy as “a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door.” Hinojosa
even praisedPresident Donald Trump for reducing the number of illegal border crossings.
Paxton’s numbers were laughable in comparison. The attorney general dug himself into a -20 point hole on favorability. The Republican brand, which scored -9 on favorability, has also “taken a steep hit” with voters, the pollsters write.
What’s the takeaway for Democrats? Talarico, Hinojosa and others focused on core issues that voters in their state care about — such as affordability and immigration — and broke with their party’s traditional stances when necessary. Another obvious lesson: Don’t run a
widely-despised candidateinvolved intoo many scandals to count.
**“Talarico and Hinojosa both leveraged their credibility as outsiders, **moderated on key issues, and took advantage of their opponents’ deep unpopularity to finally achieve the dream of Blue Texas,” the Searchlight pollsters wrote.
Read: This Poll Shows Why Voters Really Delivered The Blue Tsunami
** Donald Trump tapped Stephen Miller to be his **new chief of staff today. “This decision suggests that the president is going to be in a hostile, confrontational, and power-wielding disposition through the rest of his presidency,” Miles Taylor, a former Trump official who worked with Miller, told the
** Susie Wiles will leave the chief of staff role** to work on Trump’s political operation, the president announced. Trump privately told advisers that he plans to continue raising money, which could give him more power over Republican politicians and clout in the 2028 presidential campaigns, Axios reports.
Two more top Department of Justice officials resigned today, a day after the head of the DOJ’s civil rights division left her post.
** Hiring in the U.S. defied expectations in October, **adding 165,000 jobs. The unemployment rate also dipped slightly.
** Iranian negotiators have shown a willingness to discuss **the country’s nuclear program in talks about ending the war, Bloomberg reports, raising hopes that a deal could finally be struck.
** Investors in the president’s Trump Media business **have collectively lost $2.2 billion, according to Reuters. “The markets are as rigged as the elections,” one investor told the outlet.
** The Trump administration has been spending taxpayer dollars** to use Starlink at the White House, despite the company claiming that it had donated the satellite service, the
** Trump is trying to protect his gold-plated Oval Office **from Democrats who are eager to restore the space to normalcy. “They won’t be able to be taken down, destroyed, touched or anything else,” Trump told reporters yesterday, signing a proclamation that designates the space as a landmark. “It’ll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space.” Keep telling yourself that, buddy!
** Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed surprised the audience last night **during the
** A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of Donald Trump’s** massive arch project in the nation’s capital. Legal experts
** Tesla plans to wind down production of its** Cybertruck next year, Elon Musk announced. How bad have sales been? Just over 1,900 Cybertrucks were registered last month. Ford’s F-Series trucks saw more than 70,000 registrations in the same period. So much for that dumpster-on-wheels being Tesla’s “
** The British Library recently debuted a new exhibit** detailing the life of Agatha Christie, the queen of mystery novels, outfitted with artifacts such as her notebooks, a typewriter, and a train car evoking
** A 29-year-old man from the Bronx spent the past **four and a half months walking from New York City to California, and he encountered some incredibly helpful people along the way. An Ohio pastor picked him up and gave him a short ride. An Indiana woman fed him. Two Missouri men fixed his wobbling shopping cart. “I feel more free than I’ve felt, ever,” he told the
Meet Luna!
“She’s 5 years old, loves to go outside on a leash, and is not bothered by rain.”
— Amy
