TEXAS — State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, has defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, in an expensive and fiercely contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Texans took to the polls for the March 3 primary, the nation’s first big contest of the 2026 midterm elections, and over 2.1 million people voted in the Democratic primary. Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, on Tuesday kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Talarico will either take on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the general election, as the Republican primary race heads to a runoff.

Crockett on Wednesday conceded to Talarico. The congresswoman called on the party to unify behind the state representative, who clinched the nomination overnight.

“Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” Crockett said in a statement. “This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track.”

This morning I called James and congratulated him on becoming the Senate nominee. Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the…

— Jasmine Crockett (@JasmineForUS) March 4, 2026

Crockett’s campaign had previously suggested that she would file a lawsuit over voting challenges in the primary. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question about those plans.

Both Crockett and Talarico have built national profiles over the past couple of years. Talarico, a seminary student, has been known for tying his Christian faith to his Democratic positions with viral moments of him quoting the Bible in the Texas House. Meanwhile, Crockett has been a popular figure in the U.S. House for her combative exchanges with Republicans and critiques of President Donald Trump.

“We are not just trying to win an election,” a jubilant Talarico told supporters in Austin before the race was called. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working.”

The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday morning congratulated Talarico on his victory, with Chair Ken Martin saying Talarico ran “a campaign focused on hope and opportunity rather than fear and division.”

“As an eighth-generation Texan, former public school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico spoke directly to what Texas families care most about, from the rising cost of groceries, electricity, and utilities to a massive health care crisis unleashed by Donald Trump and Republicans,” Martin said in a statement. “After over thirty years of failed Texas Republican leadership, Texas Democrats have the momentum and enthusiasm on their side — outvoting Republicans in this primary season and winning special elections across the state. Texas Republicans fear James Talarico, and from now until Election Day, the DNC will be on offense, going all-in to support him to ensure Texans have a leader who will stand up for them, not Donald Trump.”

Dallas voter Tanu Sani said she cast her ballot for Talarico because he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”

Tomas Sanchez, a voter in Dallas County, said he supported Crockett because “she cares about immigrants, she cares about the American people in a way that a lot of the Republicans have proven they haven’t.”

Talarico outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention — and campaign contributions — last month from CBS’ decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled the interview for fear of angering Trump’s FCC.

Talarico will face an uphill battle heading into November, as a Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas in over 35 years. The late Gov. Ann Richards was the last Democrat to win a statewide office in Texas back in 1990, and Democrats haven’t won a Senate race in Texas since 1988. In a statement after his victory, Talarico proclaimed “We’re about to take back Texas.”

Crockett and Talarico each argued that they would be the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024.

Voting was extended in Dallas County and Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters reported being turned away and directed to different voting precincts because of new primary rules. Paxton’s office later challenged a decision keeping the polls open longer, and the state Supreme Court ruled ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated from others.

It was not immediately clear how the court’s action would be carried out or how many eligible ballots remained to be counted in Dallas County, Crockett’s home base. Crockett said she would seek legal action after voting was concluded.

And in Harris County, which includes Houston, a spokesperson said that as of 10 p.m. there were still voters at 20 centers.

Election Day for the 2026 midterms is on Nov. 3, with early voting beginning on Oct. 19. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5.