Texas Changed Course.

What happened

• U.S. Senate: James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, the first Democrat to win a Texas U.S. Senate seat since 1988.
• Governor: Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, who conceded Tuesday night. A Brownsville native, she will be the first Latina governor of Texas.
• Lieutenant Governor: Vikki Goodwin defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The lieutenant governor presides over the Texas Senate.
• Attorney General: Nathan Johnson defeated Mayes Middleton, the first Democrat elected attorney general since 1994.
• Comptroller: Sarah Eckhardt defeated Don Huffines. The comptroller certifies how much the Legislature can spend.
• Bexar County: Ron Nirenberg was elected county judge, and Luz Elena Chapa district attorney.

Race calls: Associated Press (U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general); Texas Tribune (comptroller); KSAT (Bexar County). As of Nov. 4, 2026.

Turnout: more than 7.7 million votes were cast before Election Day, more than 40% of registered voters, the highest early-turnout rate for a Texas midterm in modern records. Sources: Texas Tribune; KUT.

Still being decided: control of the Texas House was not yet called. Republicans were expected to keep a majority in the Texas Senate. Democrats won the U.S. Senate; U.S. House results were still being counted. Sources: Texas Tribune; PBS NewsHour / AP.

The border region’s new delegation

• TX-35 · San Antonio: Johnny Garcia defeated Carlos De La Cruz in the newly redrawn seat.
• TX-23 · San Antonio to El Paso: Katy Padilla Stout defeated Brandon Herrera, flipping the seat.
• TX-15 · Rio Grande Valley: Bobby Pulido unseated Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
• TX-28 · Laredo and TX-34 · Brownsville: Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez were reelected.

All five races called by the Associated Press. Sources: KSAT; Texas Tribune; Fox News.

What it means for border communities

The governor-elect grew up in Brownsville, on the border. That matters for how Austin talks about ports of entry, state border spending and the trade corridor that runs from Laredo to the Rio Grande Valley. Questions to watch:

• State border spending. How the new governor and the Legislature handle the state’s border security budget.
• Trade with Mexico. A new U.S. senator and three new border-region members of Congress, from San Antonio to the Valley, as the USMCA trade agreement goes through its first joint review.
• State–federal coordination. A new governor and attorney general will set a different tone with federal agencies at the border.

What it means for small businesses

Election night does not change a tax bill, a permit or a payroll. The Legislature still writes the budget, and every new idea has to pass both chambers. What the new leaders have said they will push:

• Governor Hinojosa: return $1,500 to each household from the state’s savings, change school funding and end the voucher program, and regulate data centers.
• Attorney General Johnson: consumer protection, anti-corruption and child support enforcement.

How the Capitol could work

• Divided Capitol. A new governor and lieutenant governor working with Republican majorities. Expect hard bargaining, vetoes and possible special sessions.
• A Texas House shift. If control of the House changes, the Speaker’s race and committee chairs reset, and so do budget priorities.
• The budget sets the pace. The comptroller’s revenue estimate in January tells everyone how much room there is to spend.

Three things you can do now

• 1. Meet the new teams early. Transition staff and new chiefs of staff are being hired now. Introduce your business before January.
• 2. Get into the bills. Bill prefiling opens November 9. Bring your priorities to a lawmaker before the drafts are written.
• 3. Bring the numbers. New leaders want local data. Show jobs, payroll and trade that depend on the decisions ahead.

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