Sept. 8, 2026, 5:20 p.m. Texas Democrats have been in the wilderness since 2018, when Beto O'Rourke came within a few points of unseating Sen. Ted Cruz.

But after years of proclaiming that Texas was on the verge of turning blue, Democrats appear to have a genuine shot this year in James Talarico's Senate bid against Republican Ken Paxton.

The race has attracted plenty of national attention, most recently around the question of whether President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Washington will ride to Paxton's defense.