Trump's gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset

What happened: Democrat James Talarico won the Texas Senate race, defeating Republican Ken Paxton, whom President Donald Trump had backed over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The Fox News Decision Desk called the race shortly after 11 p.m. Why it matters: The result came on a difficult midterm night for Republicans, with Democrats already projected to win the House majority and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott projected to lose to Gina Hinojosa. Trump's endorsement of Paxton followed a bitter primary that left Cornyn refusing to campaign for him.

Democrat James Talarico won the Texas Senate race, defeating Republican Ken Paxton, whom President Donald Trump had backed over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The Fox News Decision Desk called the race shortly after 11 p.m.

The result came on a difficult midterm night for Republicans, with Democrats already projected to win the House majority and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott projected to lose to Gina Hinojosa. Trump's endorsement of Paxton followed a bitter primary that left Cornyn refusing to campaign for him.