When Was the Last Time Texas Voted Blue? 2026 Results vs. 1976 (Nov. 4)

Information checked: November 4, 2026, at 3:08 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST, UTC-06:00) in Austin, Texas; 21:08 UTC. Texas voted blue in several major statewide races on November 3, 2026, with Democrats projected to win the contests for governor and U.S. Senate. That ended the party’s long statewide election drought. But if the question is specifically about presidential elections, the answer is still 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter carried Texas against Republican Gerald Ford. These are different categories of election, and both dates matter.

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s November 3, 2026, election returns, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa led incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico led Republican Ken Paxton, with 99% of polling locations reporting in those races on the state’s displayed November 4 update. Major news organizations projected Democratic victories. The totals were unofficial at this check, not yet certified statewide results. The historical answer has therefore changed for statewide offices, while the presidential record has not.

Destaques

• 2026 statewide breakthrough: Democrats were projected to win Texas’ governor and U.S. Senate races in the November 3 election, ending a statewide winning drought dating to 1994.
• Last Democratic presidential win: Jimmy Carter carried Texas in 1976, receiving all 26 of its electoral votes.
• Last previous Democratic governor elected: Ann Richards won in 1990; Gina Hinojosa was projected to end that gap in 2026.
• Certification matters: Texas’ November 2026 vote totals were still unofficial at the time of this check, even as news organizations had called key races.

When was the last time Texas voted Democratic?

The answer depends on which office you mean. A state can vote Republican in a presidential election but Democratic in a race for governor, U.S. Senate, the legislature, or a local office. Here are the most useful benchmarks following the November 2026 election:

“Blue Texas” does not mean Texas supported the same party in every contest. The 2026 results mark Democratic victories in statewide, nonpresidential races; they do not retroactively change the 2024 presidential result or establish who will carry Texas in 2028.

What happened in Texas’ 2026 election?

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Texas held federal and state general elections. Major outlets called the U.S. Senate race for James Talarico and the governor’s race for Gina Hinojosa. The Associated Press reporting on the 2026 Senate race and The Texas Tribune’s original election reporting reported Talarico’s Senate victory, while Reuters reporting on the 2026 governor’s race reported Hinojosa’s defeat of Abbott.

At the official results check, with 99% of polling locations reporting, the state posted these figures:

The figures come from the state’s November 4 reporting page and may change as outstanding returns are processed. These are vote counts, not final certified results. Texas has a separate canvassing process; the Texas Secretary of State guidance on canvassing and recount deadlines explains deadlines for official post-election procedures. A news organization calling a race means it has projected a winner, not that the state has completed certification.

Why was 1976 the last presidential election Texas voted blue?

In the November 2, 1976, presidential election, Jimmy Carter, the former Democratic governor of Georgia, defeated Republican President Gerald Ford in Texas. The Texas Secretary of State’s presidential election history records 2,082,319 votes for Carter and 1,953,300 for Ford. Carter won the state by 129,019 votes, and Texas awarded him 26 electoral votes, as confirmed by the National Archives’ 1976 Electoral College record.

Carter also won the national election. Texas did not vote for the Democratic presidential nominee in the subsequent elections from 1980 through 2024. That streak includes the 1992 election, when Democrat Bill Clinton won the presidency nationwide but Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush carried Texas. Saying that Texas was “blue in 1976” is therefore accurate when discussing its presidential voting record.

Did Texas vote blue for president in 2020 or 2024?

No. Donald Trump won Texas in both years. In 2024, official totals list Trump with 6,393,597 votes (56.14%) and Democrat Kamala Harris with 4,835,250 (42.46%). Texas assigned all 40 electoral votes to Trump, as shown in the National Archives’ 2024 Electoral College record. Those certified presidential results illustrate why the November 2026 statewide Democratic victories are a significant political change without being a presidential flip.

When did Texas last elect a Democratic governor before 2026?

Ann Richards won the Texas governor’s race in 1990 and served from 1991 to 1995. Republican George W. Bush defeated her reelection bid in 1994. Republicans then held the governor’s office continuously until the 2026 election, in which Hinojosa was projected to defeat Abbott. Hinojosa’s anticipated term begins in January 2027; she should not be described as already serving as governor on November 4, 2026.

The 1994 election is also an important statewide milestone for a different reason. Although Richards lost, Democrats including Lieutenant Gov. Bob Bullock won statewide races that year. After 1994, the party did not win another statewide contest for 32 years, a historical baseline described in The Texas Tribune’s review of Democrats’ decades-long statewide losing streak before the 2026 cycle. The 2026 governor and Senate results ended that drought according to projected race outcomes.

When did Texas last elect a Democratic U.S. senator before James Talarico?

The last Democrat previously elected to the U.S. Senate by Texas voters was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Bentsen was also the Democratic vice-presidential nominee that year. He remained a senator until 1993, when he resigned to become U.S. treasury secretary. Democrat Bob Krueger was appointed to the vacancy but did not win the subsequent special election. The U.S. Senate’s Texas membership history documents these tenures and the transition to Republican senators.

Talarico’s projected victory in 2026 would thus be the first Democratic U.S. Senate election win in Texas in 38 years. It is more precise to say “first elected Democrat since Bentsen in 1988” than to say that no Democrat had ever occupied the seat after that year, because Krueger served briefly by appointment.

How did Texas move from Democratic dominance to a Republican stronghold?

For much of the 20th century, Democratic candidates dominated politics in Texas, but the meaning and coalition of the Democratic Party changed substantially over time. The state’s transition toward Republican voting was gradual rather than a single election-night reversal. Party realignment, national political issues, suburban and rural voting changes, and the growing strength of Republican organizations all contributed to the shift.

The differences between offices are especially revealing. Texas backed Carter for president in 1976, elected Richards governor in 1990, and reelected some Democratic statewide officials in 1994. Republicans then won every statewide race for decades, even while Democrats continued winning some congressional districts, legislative districts, and city or county contests. Winning part of Texas is not the same as winning Texas statewide.

The 2026 results now complicate the simple description of Texas as an unchanging red state. Yet a single midterm cycle cannot establish a permanent partisan realignment. The size, geography, and repeatability of the coalition behind the projected winners will become clearer through certified results, county-level analysis, and later elections.

Does Texas turning blue in 2026 mean it will vote Democratic in 2028?

Not necessarily. The 2028 presidential election is a future contest, and November 2026 results do not tell us its winner. Voters can evaluate presidential candidates differently from state candidates. Candidate quality, turnout, economic conditions, national issues, campaign organization, and changes in the electorate may all affect a later result.

For Democrats, their projected 2026 statewide victories create a new opportunity to test whether a broad statewide coalition can persist. For Republicans, the losses create questions about what happened to their winning margins and how they might regain voters. Both are political implications, not verified predictions.

The most useful next checkpoints are certified 2026 statewide totals, county-by-county comparisons with previous elections, and the performance of both parties in future races. Anyone tracking the question “When was Texas last blue?” should always specify whether they mean president, governor, Senate, another statewide office, or local representation.

FAQ: Texas’ blue-state election history

When was the last time Texas voted blue for president?

1976. Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in Texas and received its 26 electoral votes. No Democratic presidential nominee won Texas from 1980 through 2024.

Did Texas flip blue in 2026?

In major statewide, nonpresidential races, yes. Democrats were projected to win the November 3, 2026, governor and U.S. Senate elections. At this article’s check, Texas’ vote totals were still unofficial.

Who was the last Democratic governor of Texas?

Ann Richards was the last Democrat to serve as Texas governor before 2026, serving from 1991 to 1995. Gina Hinojosa was projected to win the 2026 governor’s election and take office in January 2027.