Updated November 4, 2026 8:00AM. Vote totals remain unofficial and reflect the source updates described below.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Democrats’ election-night victories held into Wednesday morning, with Xavier Becerra winning California’s governor’s race and Texas voters delivering historic victories to Gina Hinojosa for governor and James Talarico for U.S. Senate.
The results came as Democrats secured enough projected victories to take control of both chambers of Congress, according to NPR’s analysis of Associated Press race calls. The outcome sets up divided government when the new Congress takes office in January.
California reinforced its Democratic leadership, while Texas produced a major political shift after decades of Republican success in statewide elections.
A Shift in the California–Texas Political Rivalry
The results carry added significance because California and Texas have long represented opposing sides of American politics: California as the nation’s biggest blue-state stronghold and Texas as its biggest red-state counterpart. California has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1992, while Republicans’ decades-long hold on Texas statewide offices made it a symbol of conservative power.
That contrast has also shaped years of debate over business and economic policy. Republican leaders have pointed to companies moving headquarters from California to Texas as evidence that businesses prefer the Texas approach to taxes and regulation. Abbott repeatedly promoted those relocations, including his efforts to bring Elon Musk’s businesses to Texas, as a success of his administration.
Some prominent executives moved themselves as well. Elon Musk relocated his residence from California to Texas, according to The Texas Tribune. Tesla moved its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto to Austin in 2021, according to the company’s securities filings. Chevron also announced its headquarters move from San Ramon to Houston in 2024. These headquarters relocations did not mean the companies ended all operations in California.
Democratic victories in Texas now complicate that familiar political narrative. They show that a state long promoted as the Republican alternative to California can also elect Democratic leaders. Whether the results mark a lasting realignment will depend on future elections.
California Keeps Governor’s Office Blue
Becerra, a former California attorney general and U.S. health and human services secretary, defeated Republican Steve Hilton to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
KQED’s Associated Press results showed Becerra with 4,982,430 votes, or 63.9%, compared with Hilton’s 2,804,925 votes, or 36%. Approximately 59.27% of the expected vote had been counted in that update. The AP called the race Tuesday evening.
Democratic strength extended to other statewide offices. The same results page reported AP calls for Fiona Ma for lieutenant governor, Shirley Weber for secretary of state, Malia Cohen for controller, Eleni Kounalakis for treasurer and Rob Bonta for attorney general.
Texas Delivers Historic Democratic Breakthrough
In Texas, Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ending his bid for a fourth term. She will become the state’s first Latina governor and its first Democratic governor since Ann Richards. Abbott conceded and pledged to help with the transition, according to the Associated Press.
The Texas secretary of state’s election results, updated at 9:25 a.m. Central Wednesday, equivalent to 7:25 a.m. Pacific, showed the following unofficial totals:
| Race | Democratic candidate | Republican candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | Gina Hinojosa: 5,193,921 | Greg Abbott: 4,499,756 |
| U.S. Senate | James Talarico: 5,405,050 | Ken Paxton: 4,227,281 |
The state reported 99% of polling locations reporting in both contests. That figure measures reporting locations, rather than the percentage of all ballots counted.
Talarico’s victory marks the first Democratic U.S. Senate election win in Texas since 1988, according to KUT’s Texas Newsroom coverage. The former public school teacher and state representative defeated Paxton in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate contests.
The Democratic gains reached beyond those two races. The state’s unofficial returns also showed Democrats Vikki Goodwin leading for lieutenant governor, Nathan Johnson leading for attorney general and Sarah Eckhardt leading for comptroller. Those leads are separate from the called victories for Hinojosa and Talarico.
Democrats Win Control of Congress
Nationally, Democrats secured control of the House and Senate, with some individual races still unresolved Wednesday morning.
NPR’s analysis identified seven Republican-held Senate seats that flipped to Democrats: North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Maine. The new majorities will give Democrats control over congressional committees and a stronger role in negotiations over spending and legislation during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
The California and Texas results illustrate the wave’s reach: Democrats retained power in the nation’s largest state while breaking through in a longtime Republican stronghold.
Counting and verification continue. Projected winners and concessions establish the expected outcomes, but the vote totals remain unofficial until election officials complete certification.