Ted Brown, Libertarian on Texas' Senate Ballot, Finishes Third as James Talarico Defeats Ken Paxton

Many Texas voters met a third name in the U.S. Senate race on Tuesday’s ballot: Ted Brown, the Libertarian Party nominee. Brown ran alongside Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton in one of the country’s most closely watched contests, which Talarico won, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

Status: Race called for James Talarico (D) by the AP, per FOX 4. Brown finished third. Results are unofficial until certified.

How Brown did

In results from The Associated Press shown by Fox News, with about 88% of the vote reported early Wednesday, Nov. 4:

Those figures will change as counting finishes. Talarico’s margin was far larger than Brown’s total, so the Libertarian did not decide the outcome.

FOX 4 reported that Talarico “defeated Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown” to become the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994, and the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. He will replace Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

Who is Ted Brown?

Brown is a Libertarian activist who won his party’s nomination for the seat. In an October interview with FOX 7 Austin, he rejected the idea that he was a “spoiler.” “I mean, how could you spoil something that’s so rotten and putrid to begin with? And I mean the corrupt two-party system,” he said.

His pitch was aimed at voters unhappy with both major-party nominees. “I don’t think it’s wasting your vote or throwing your vote away,” Brown told FOX 7, “as long as you’re voting for either for principles that you believe in or to make a statement that you just don’t like the way the system is being handled.”

FOX 7 reported that his best showing in public polling was about 3%, in a Texas Southern survey in September, and cited a Washington Times report that he was drawing mostly moderate Republicans while also reaching out to moderate Democrats.

Why the name drew attention

The Senate race was the most expensive campaign in Texas history and one of the most expensive in U.S. history, FOX 4 reported, and polls showed broad voter dissatisfaction with both Paxton and Talarico, according to FOX 7. That left some voters looking closely at the only other candidate on the ballot as they headed to the polls on Election Day.

FAQ