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James Talarico won the most expensive Senate race in American history on Tuesday, becoming the first Democrat in 32 years to win a statewide election in Texas.
The 37-year-old state representative defeated the scandal-plagued Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, by placing corruption at the center of his political campaign. Paxton was “the most corrupt politician in Texas,” Talarico said on the stump, and he linked the affordability crisis to a political system dominated by big-money donors—and one trillionaire in particular.
While Talarico was one of the strongest Democratic Senate candidates in years, and Paxton one of the weakest Republicans at maybe any level, it is hard to overstate what just happened. Elon Musk spent at least $212 million on this race.
But Musk’s money couldn’t buy the seat, in part because Talarico’s campaign was predicated on the idea that people like Musk would try to buy the seat. The fact that Paxton was dependent on an internet-poisoned mogul for—again—$212 million in support only reinforced the point.
“Elon Musk wants our land,” he told voters. “He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas.”
Texas, it turned out, was not for sale. Not even for $212 million.
And well before midnight, a larger outcome was also clear: Democrats will win control of the US Senate.