To Gabby's point: When I asked what tonight's results mean for 2028 and the national map, Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said, "I've always said, if you're not paying attention to Texas, you've got your ass screwed on backwards."

Is it too early to start talking about the 2028 presidential race? One downstream effect of Gina Hinojosa's win: she would get to appoint Texas' U.S. Senator if a Texan was elected president or vice president. Ted Cruz has been teasing a potential presidential bid, but Hinojosa's victory could change the calculus.

Our team will be discussing the results of tonight's election during a live taping of the TribCast, our weekly podcast, at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Should be an interesting convo. RSVP here. tribcastlivebreakingdown2026election.splashthat.com

I'm at the Capitol right now where honks and cheers have been unending. The growing crowd rushed here once Hinojosa and Talarico declared victory, some are in their pajamas. People are driving by to catch a glimpse of the pink dome, which in just the last hour, has a whole new definition for Texans. People are dancing and jumping, music is blaring, bubbles are floating around.

“It may be dark outside but the sun is rising on the great state of Texas,” state Rep. John Bucy, James Talarico’s longtime deskmate in the Texas House, says as he takes the stage at Talarico HQ. “Tonight, everything changes.”

Talking to reporters after his victory speech, Bobby Pulido said he hadn’t spoken to U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz but that he had no ill will toward her. However, he said he doesn’t think her campaign ever recovered after he started performing at quinceañeras in response to her comment stating he was only fit for those types of events.

“I think she kind of was responsible for her own undoing,” Pulido said.

More than 100 people have gathered at the Capitol in downtown Austin to celebrate the Democrats’ victories. The crowd is growing larger as people honk their horns, wave flags and cheer. This video is shot by our Director of Visuals, Pu Ying Huang.

Democrat Johnny Garcia has declared victory in Texas' 35th Congressional District, one of the seats Republicans redrew last year to favor the GOP. The AP has yet to call his race.

“I’m honored and humbled that voters have put their trust in me," Garcia said. "I threw my cowboy hat into the ring a year ago because I was pissed – pissed that Republicans redrew our congressional maps to try and silence voters and hold onto the House majority. Pissed that prices kept getting higher. Pissed that politicians have ripped health insurance away from millions of Texans while giving tax breaks to their biggest donors."

In four of the five redrawn seats now, Democrats have declared victory or Republicans have conceded.

A crowd has gathered outside of the Texas state capitol here in Austin, with people cheering and nearly uninterrupted honking.

Republican Party of Texas chairwoman D’rinda Randall says “tonight, we accept the results. Tomorrow, we begin rebuilding.” She adds in a statement: “Our commitment to Texas remains unwavering, and the work continues.”

James Talarico will soon address a crowd in Austin that can't quite seem to believe the political earthquake we've seen here tonight. As we wait for him to take the stage, I spot his parents front and center among the dozens of supporters who will flank him when he speaks publicly for the first time since he became senator-elect.

Harris County Elections Office reports over 306,000 people voted on Tuesday. Election Day totals show Talarico leading Paxton 67 to 29 and Hinojosa 64 to 34.

Republican attorney general nominee Mayes Middleton has called Nathan Johnson to concede, according to Johnson's campaign. "MAGA Mayes" Middleton spent almost $20 million of his oil and gas wealth to win a contentious primary and runoff against U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, but remained relatively quiet during the general beyond hewing close to Trump.

Abbott had broken with Trump on data centers in recent months, working to rein them in as backlash to their rapid influx in Texas exploded.

The room was filled with disbelief as the election results came in at the Ken Paxton watch party. People yelled “No!” They made phone calls and shook their heads. When Fox News called the race for Talarico, the projector screen was turned off, as if people simply didn’t want to see or accept what was happening.

Then “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC started playing incredibly loud, almost as if the volume was being turned up to drown out the disappointment of the loss.

After a prayer and remarks from his daughter, Paxton congratulated Talarico and reflected on his 12 years as Texas attorney general, expressing gratitude for the people he had worked with and the memories he would carry with him. He spoke about his love for the Lone Star State, saying, “I love Texas, I’ll always love Texas,” and vowed to continue fighting for his beliefs and his country.

From Paxton's brief concession speech: “Let me start off by congratulating James Talarico. I will commit that I will be praying for him that he will do good for Texas and this nation.”

Bo French, the Republican candidate for Railroad Commissioner, has remained uncharacteristically quiet on X, where he regularly posts for his more than 120,000 followers. He has yet to concede the race to Jon Rosenthal, who recently declared victory.

Democratic nominee for Texas comptroller Sarah Eckhardt declared victory over Don Huffines, who was appointed to the post over the summer. The race has not yet been called by the AP. “Texas, this is a realignment. We have won this state back for working Texans. I am honored and humbled by the faith that the people of this state have put in me, and it’s time to get to work. Thank you,” Eckhardt wrote in a social media post.

The president followed up the post with a second stating he is “going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!”

In a remarkably sharp rebuke of Gov. Greg Abbott, President Donald Trump said in a Truth social media post that the governor lost his reelection bid because he became a “RINO” — Republican in name only — in the “last six months of his Political Life.” truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117556309377726931