Denton County, Texas, delivered a split verdict in Tuesday’s midterm elections, reelection Republican Rep. Brandon Gill while giving Democrat James Talarico a clear victory over Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race.
Gill received 51.2 percent of the vote to Democrat Steven Shook’s 47.6 percent in the Denton County portion of Texas’ 26th Congressional District. His margin was 3.6 percentage points, or 10,612 votes.
But the countywide Senate results told a different story. Talarico carried Denton County by 8.4 percentage points, finishing more than 33,000 votes ahead of Paxton, according to unofficial returns published by the Dallas Standard.
Talarico received 53.3 percent of the vote compared with Paxton’s 44.9 percent. The result stands out because President Donald Trump carried Denton County by approximately 13 points in the 2024 presidential election.
The two contests covered different portions of the county. All 253 Denton County precincts reported results in the Senate race, while 188 precincts reported votes in Gill’s congressional contest. The remaining precincts were located in Texas’ 4th and 13th congressional districts.
Gill nevertheless secured reelection across the full 26th Congressional District, winning approximately 10 points ahead of Shook. According to the Texas secretary of state, Gill received 182,648 votes to Shook’s 147,944.
Gill’s strongest margins came in Cooke and Wise counties, where he won by more than 50 percentage points, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Talarico’s victory carried broader statewide significance. The Associated Press reported that he became the first Democrat to win a Texas U.S. Senate general election since 1988. Wednesday’s statewide tally placed him at approximately 55 percent, compared with roughly 43 percent for Paxton.
Talarico secured the Democratic nomination in March after defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, setting up the general-election contest against Paxton.
The contrasting results in Denton County illustrate how voters can make sharply different choices across races on the same ballot. Gill retained his congressional seat, while Talarico’s statewide victory marked a historic change in Texas Senate politics.
