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.

Alejandra Martinez is a Fort Worth-based environmental reporter. She’s covered the impacts of petrochemical facilities on Black and brown communities, including investigating a chemical fire at an industrial...