WASHINGTON — Democrat James Talarico, a former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian who campaigned on a “politics of love,” won the US Senate race in Texas, flipping yet another seat for his party in a huge blow to Republicans.

Talarico defeated the state’s attorney general Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who survived impeachment and years of scandal, NBC News and CBS News projected.

He becomes the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.

The result was a major setback for Trump, who threw his weight behind Paxton and made the state a campaign priority.

In another political earthquake for the southern border state, Democrat Gina Hinojosa on Tuesday unseated incumbent Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney and state lawmaker, is part of a new generation of Democrats who are seeking to attract independents and voters disillusioned by Trump’s unpopular war in the Middle East and skyrocketing prices for gas and everyday goods.

The landmark victories for Democrats could signal that Texas, the country’s second most populous state with 40 electoral votes, is becoming competitive in national elections, a shift that could reshape the electoral map for future races.