The Campaign That Broke Texas Republicans

For the first time since 1988, Texas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher, beat Ken Paxton, and Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott to become the first Latina governor in Texas history. Dr. Footnote explains how it happened: the long drought, the teacher and the daughter of the Rio Grande Valley, the Republican gamble on Paxton, the Latino bet, the money, election night (and Whataburger), how Democrats took the Texas House for the first time since 2003, and what it means for the Senate and 2028. CHAPTERS 0:00 Texas turns blue 0:30 Part 1: The Long Drought 1:28 Part 2: The Teacher 2:31 Part 3: The Daughter Of The Valley 3:32 Part 4: The Republican Gamble 4:22 Part 5: The Latino Bet 5:30 Part 6: The Money 6:13 Part 7: Election Night 7:45 Part 8: The Legislature 9:13 Part 9: What Texas Just Changed 10:13 The footnote