Davis lost the 2014 governor's race after her filibuster made her a national name. O'Rourke fell short in the 2018 Senate race despite record fundraising and enthusiasm. The only statewide winner on that office wall is Ann Richards, elected governor back in 1990.
Now Texas Democrats are pinning fresh hopes on James Talarico heading into 2026. The party has made this promise before, that it finally has a candidate who can break the state's Republican lock, and every previous bid has ended the same way, in defeat.
What makes this moment different, according to Democrats quoted by the Boston Globe, is tied to what's shaping up in 2026. The stakes go beyond one candidate. Another loss would mean another decade of decoration for that Fort Worth office wall, another name to add beside Davis and O'Rourke instead of the win column.
Texas Democrats have waited 36 years since their last statewide victory, and the office walls in Fort Worth keep filling up with almost.