Two dozen GOP leaders back Talarico, but experts doubt the impact
Former Texas state senator Kel Seliger joins a growing list of Republican endorsements for the Democratic Senate candidate, though research suggests such crossovers rarely swing tight races.
By Ariana Flores ·
Republican officials across the country are increasingly endorsing Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. This trend is most visible in Texas, where former state senator Kel Seliger announced his support for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico this week. Seliger chose Talarico over the Republican nominee, Attorney General Ken Paxton, citing personal familiarity with both men.
Seliger, a former GOP state senator, defended his decision in a statement. “James Talarico is not some wild-eyed socialist and he may believe in a lot of things that Democratic Party believes in that I don’t,” Seliger said. He added that Talarico is honest, frank, and direct, and that his actions will serve Texas rather than Elon Musk.
Talarico’s campaign says more than two dozen former Republican officials have now joined his endorsement list. This aligns with a similar pattern in other states. In Alaska, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday. In Kansas, former governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden, both Republicans, backed Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in September and October.
Republican leaders say they also expect voters to cross party lines for their candidates. Natalie Baldassarre, the national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, pointed to the race in Michigan between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed. She also cited a coalition called “Democrats for Mike Rogers” as evidence of this trend.
Political scientists remain skeptical that these endorsements will change the final results. Joshua Blank, the research director for the Texas Politics Project, noted that cross-party voting usually affects only a small share of the electorate. “We’re not talking about a large group of Republicans crossing party lines to vote for Democrats,” Blank said. He described the behavior as idiosyncratic among a tiny percentage of voters.
Blank added that the factor becomes relevant only if the elections are very close. Recent polling indicates that several midterm races have tightened considerably. In some contests, the margins are now statistically tied. The final outcome will depend on whether these small crossover groups are large enough to influence those narrow margins.
