Election Night was a surprise to many. Republicans scored significant wins, and Democrats scored significant losses, and both sides are analyzing the results and looking towards the future. As President Donald Trump (R) begins to assemble his administration, exit polls show that he flipped Starr County with a 76-point swing.
In Florida, President Trump flipped Miami-Dade County, a county that has historically voted blue. He won the county by 2% more than President Biden did in the 2020 presidential election. In Texas, the state experienced something similar. Starr County, Texas, which has voted Democrat for over 100 years, backed President Trump by a margin of 57.7% to 41.8%. This makes President Trump the first Republican to carry the county since 1898.
Compared to the 2016 election, Secretary Hillary Clinton (D) defeated President Trump in Starr County by 60 points, which is a 76-point swing. In 2020, census data shows that over 90% of residents in Starr County identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Compared to the 2020 election, President Trump gained 6 points of support from Hispanics, which left Democrats with single-digit favorites among Hispanic voters, according to data from the Financial Times and other outlets.
Texas decidedly voted for President Trump on Tuesday despite Democrats claiming that states like Texas and Florida were "at play."
The Senate race between incumbent Senator Ted Cruz (R) and Rep. Colin Allred (D) also ended in an upset for Democrats as Senator Cruz won reelection by a wide margin. The final vote was 53.1% of support for Senator Cruz, and 44.5% of support for Rep. Allred.
On Election Night, Senator Cruz addressed his supporters, expressing that "the results tonight, this decisive victory, should shake the Democrat establishment to its core."
