Demokrater jublar – tror på blå seger i senaten: ”Kan bli deras Moses”

James Dell Talarico ( TAL-uh-REE-koh; born May 17, 1989) is an American politician and educator who has served since 2018 as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas. Born in Round Rock, Texas, Talarico graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2011, and from Harvard University with a Master of Education degree in education policy in 2016. Before entering politics, Talarico was a middle-school English teacher and an executive director for an education nonprofit. He is serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, having first been elected in 2018. While serving in the Texas House, Talarico earned his Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 2025, he announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in 2026. He defeated U.S. representative Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary and will face Ken Paxton in the general election following a primary runoff.

Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the attorney general of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented District 70 in the Texas House of Representatives and later served in the Texas Senate for District 8. First elected attorney general in 2014, he was re-elected in 2018 and 2022, and is the Republican nominee for the 2026 United States Senate election in Texas. Paxton has been characterized by various media outlets as a staunch ally of the 45th and 47th President Donald Trump and as an ultraconservative or far-right political figure. He played a prominent role in efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, including filing the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit and speaking at the January 6, 2021, rally preceding the attack on the U.S. Capitol. During President Joe Biden's administration, Paxton filed more than 100 legal actions against federal policies. Paxton's tenure has been marked by significant legal and ethical controversies. He was indicted on state securities fraud charges in 2015, which were dismissed in 2025 after he completed a pretrial agreement involving restitution, ethics training, and community service. In 2020, senior officials in his office accused him of bribery and abuse of office, leading to his impeachment by the Texas House in 2023. The Texas Senate acquitted him of all charges later that year, restoring him to office. A 2023 federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice was also dropped during Biden's final weeks in office. In April 2025, Paxton announced that he would run for the United States Senate in the 2026 election in Texas. During the first round, Paxton placed in second, behind incumbent Senator John Cornyn and ahead of Wesley Hunt. In the runoff, Paxton defeated Cornyn. He will face the Democratic nominee James Talarico, an educator and member of the Texas House of Representatives, in the general election.