Democrat James Talarico won the Texas Senate race. He defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Decision Desk HQ and NBC News projected the win. The Associated Press called it at 11:03 p.m. Eastern Time.
Talarico becomes the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1988. Democrats long sought this flip in the Lone Star State.
A massive flip Democrats long sought
Talarico is a 37-year-old state legislator. He ran a closely watched campaign against Paxton.
Supporters watched results at his watch party in Austin. They welcomed the news as the call came in.
Paxton was a high-profile Republican target. His loss marks a major flip for Democrats.
The win helped deliver the Senate majority to Democrats. Texas had not sent a Democrat to statewide office in decades.
What is confirmed: Talarico won the seat. The Senate majority already went to Democrats. Talarico takes office with the new Congress in January.
