Texas hasn't sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988 and it appears that won't change anytime soon with voters choosing to keep incumbent senior Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in his Senate seat Tuesday.
According to NBC News, with 35% of the vote reporting, Cornyn held a lead of two percentage points over his challenger.
Hegar's campaign confirmed to NBC 5 she had conceded and reached out to Cornyn. Hegar offered no on-camera concession, only tweeting that she was proud and grateful for support from her supporters.
Cornyn said in the run-up to Tuesday's election that he expected to prevail but also predicted a single-digit finish, six years after coasting to his last reelection in Texas by 27 points.
Cornyn was appointed to replace Sen. Phil Gramm, who retired early in 2002. Texas voters sent Cornyn back to Washington that November when he defeated former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk by 12 points.
His vulnerability underscored the unusual trouble Republicans up and down the ballot are suddenly confronting in America's biggest red state. Still, Hegar faced daunting odds, not the least of which was because a Democrat hasn't won a Senate race in Texas in more than 30 years.
Hegar, an Air Force veteran, served three tours in Afghanistan and received the Purple Heart in 2009. She ran for Texas' 31st Congressional District in 2018, but lost to incumbent Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock).
The race for the Senate seat became an expensive one, as money poured in from outside the state, according to NBC 5's media partner The Dallas Morning News.
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Source: AP
