The Texas Senate race is a generational showdown. Millennials are storming a Boomer political stronghold and hoping voters are ready to trade long resumes for fast legs.
Take Wesley Hunt, for example. The 44-year-old Republican congressman from Houston isn’t running against Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton as much as he’s running against time.
Hunt said he’s a better choice in the March 3 GOP primary because he’s nearly two decades younger.
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“It’s time for the next generation to step into the fray and lead moving forward,” he said last week in Dallas.
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As for the Boomers, Cornyn, 73, is seeking his fifth term as senator, and Paxton, 63, decided to try for higher office after three terms as state attorney general.
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Hunt is part of a crop of youth movement in both parties, testing whether Texans looking over the Senate field want experience or are eager for a handoff.
Millennials already are king on the Democratic side. The two leading candidates vying for their party’s Senate nomination are U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 44, of Dallas, and state Rep. James Talarico, 36, of Austin.
While the Senate contest may become a referendum on time, what’s clear is the nex-gen candidates are giving up coveted seats in Washington and Austin.
That cohort is playing a shorter political game. For many, politics is a chapter, not a career, making even long-shot campaigns part of a broader professional arc.
Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said they feel fewer constraints and more freedom to move on.
“There is a greater belief in not tying yourself down to one thing, keeping your options open and then pursuing new opportunities,” he said. “They are not afraid to take the leap, even though they are not 100% sure.”
The younger contingent arrived at the 2026 Senate race by different routes, with backgrounds that hint at careers beyond politics:
Crockett: A criminal defense and civil rights lawyer whose work included police misconduct cases, she built a national profile through viral media moments that translated beyond politics. She won the 30th Congressional District seat in 2022, succeeding longtime Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a hearing to investigate the remaining questions surrounding January 6, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Hunt: A West Point graduate who flew Apache helicopters in the Army, he is in his second term in the U.S. House and launched a Senate challenge over opposition from GOP leaders. He said he plans to use his MBA from Cornell University after leaving politics.
Talarico: A former middle-school teacher who led a nonprofit aimed at improving education technology for low-income students, he’s a Presbyterian seminarian who could pursue the ministry. Known for viral social media moments, Talarico is in his fourth term as a state House member.
Hunt, speaking to Dallas County Republicans , Hunt said he plans to spend about 12 years advancing President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda before leaving politics to focus on personal endeavors.
“I’ll turn things over to the next generation,” Hunt said, drawing a joking shout of “ageism” from the room.
State Representative James Talarico expresses his vision for the future as he recently announced he is running in the Democratic Primary against Colin Allred. Talarico made a campaign stop, which drew a large crowd of supporters to Deep Ellum Art Company, 3200 Commerce Street in Dallas, on September 18, 2025.
Steve Hamm / Special Contributor
Life away from politics also could be attractive for Crockett and Talarico.
Crockett is ubiquitous on TV and social media. Gov. Greg Abbott predicted she’ll become a host on ABC’s The View after losing her Senate bid.
Though meant as a slight, the comment reflects Crockett’s perceived options after politics.
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Talarico, already a social media favorite, also could leverage attention gained by his Senate campaign – win or lose. He’s already built a large following, blending his Christian faith into his messaging.
That age debate isn’t unique to Texas, with the 2026 midterm elections shaping up as a moment of churn. As of last month, 58 members of Congress – 47 representatives and 11 senators – are not returning to Capitol Hill.
The median age in the Senate is nearly 64.7, according to the Pew Research Center. Though nearly a quarter of the American population, only several members of the Senate are millennials.
In 2021, at age 33, Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, became the first millennial to serve in the Senate.
For candidates here, a Senate victory can instantly elevate stature.
“You go from a back bencher in the U.S. House or Texas House to the toast of the U.S. Senate simply by coming from Texas,” Jones said.