Democrat James Talarico, a former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminarian who campaigned on a "politics of love," on Tuesday won the US Senate race in Texas, dealing a historic blow to Republicans that could reshape American politics.

Talarico defeated the state's attorney general Ken Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump who survived impeachment and years of scandal, US media projected.

The result was a major setback for Trump, who threw his weight behind Paxton and made the state a campaign priority.

In another political earthquake for the deeply conservative southern border state, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated incumbent Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Talarico and Hinojosa are the first Democrats to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.

Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney and state lawmaker, is part of a new generation of Democrats who are seeking to attract independents and voters d...