Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support2 context
- Said
- 2 times·
- Confidence
- 85%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
Multiple sources state that the last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, matching the claim's wording that Texas has not elected a Democrat since then.
Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.
What was said
… Just go to indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need the right hire fast? Then this is the job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. The people of the great nation of Texas have not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but this year that might change. James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, school teacher, self-confessed cringe progressive i was doing it maybe in an annoying way he's leading in most polls. …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Snopes (tier1) states the last time Texas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate was 1988.[1]
Supports. KSAT reports that Lloyd Bentsen was the last Democrat from Texas elected to the U.S. Senate, in 1988, and NewsNation says Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.[2][3]
Supports. Other coverage, including The Bulwark, CBC News, and WBUR, repeats that no Texas Democrat has been elected to the U.S. Senate since 1988.[4][5][6]
Context. Yahoo's coverage notes that Bob Krueger was appointed to the seat in 1993 and lost the special election that June, so no Democrat has served in the Senate from Texas since, but the last one voters elected was Bentsen in 1988.[7]
Context. The Harvard Political Review says it has been 33 years since a Democrat represented Texas in the Senate, which refers to the 1993 appointment rather than an election and does not contradict the claim.[8]
Sources
8 sources: 1 fact-checker, 7 not rated
- 1Republicans claim James Talarico, Texas candidate for US Senate, is vegan. He's notsnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Attorney General Ken Paxton, Rep. James Talarico face off in ...ksat.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3Road to the Midterms: Is Texas in play?newsnationnow.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Dreams of a Blue Texas Emerge Yet Againthebulwark.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5The U.S. midterm race with the biggest stakes? It's in Texas | CBC Newscbc.ca · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Could this finally be the year for Texas Democrats? - WBURwbur.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7James Talarico Texas Senate race: List of celebrity donors and ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8A Blue Wave in Texas?theharvardpoliticalreview.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 2 published posts
Related claims
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