Image shows James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate seat representing TexasImage source, Getty Images
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Democrats hope James Talarico, 37, could end a decades-long winning streak for Republicans in Texas Senate races

ByAnthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent
  • Published10 minutes ago

The race for a US Senate seat in Texas may prove crucial in determining which party controls Congress next year – a significant prize in its own right - but for both parties it represents so much more than that.

For the Democrats, their losing streak in statewide elections now stretches back more than three decades. In the second most populous state in America, liberals have been in the wilderness for a generation.