AUSTIN, Texas — State Rep. James Talarico is facing a new and more difficult test after he won a Democratic primary for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) Senate seat in Texas.

Talarico was widely viewed as the stronger candidate for Democrats, beating firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) by 6 points on Tuesday night. But he will confront the same political dynamic that has locked Democrats out of statewide office for the last three decades, running as a progressive in a state that President Donald Trump carried by 14 points in 2024.