Axios

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas' closely watched U.S. Senate race, delivering a historic breakthrough for Democrats in a state Republicans have dominated for decades.

Why it matters: Talarico's victory ends the nation's longest Democratic drought in statewide elections and flips a critical Senate seat as Democrats fight for control of the chamber.

President Trump said Republicans would have won Tuesday's midterm elections had he been on the ballot.

Why it matters: After raging on social media before major races were called, Trump reacted to the results for the first time Tuesday night as a blue wave began to take shape.

For the first time in history, three Black women will serve simultaneously in the U.S. Senate when Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton takes office in January.

Why it matters: More than 235 years after the Senate first convened, two Black women served simultaneously for the first time. Two years later, that number will grow to three.