How did Democrats flip Texas in 2026, according to Pod Save America?

The Pod Save America hosts said James Talarico beat Ken Paxton for the Senate about 55 to 43, Gina Hinojosa unseated three-term governor Greg Abbott, and the Texas legislature was flipping. Their explanation: rural Republicans turned out at pre-Trump levels, Democrats kept their high turnout in cities and suburbs, and Latino voters in South Texas swung back toward 2020 margins. They also credited a decade of organizers who kept working through losses.

• Hinojosa led Abbott 53 to 46 on the New York Times page as they recorded.
• Bobby Pulido was polling around 60 to 61 percent in a House district Trump won by 17 or 18 points.
• The hosts said Elon Musk spent $200 million in Texas alone backing Paxton.
• The hosts argued Texas must be a battleground in 2028 and that after 2032 there is no lasting Electoral College path without it.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Pod Save America (2026-11-04). Read the whole episode summary →

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