Texas Goes Blue, and the Author of Red, White & Royal Blue Takes Notice

Democrat James Talarico has defeated Republican Ken Paxton in the race for Texas's seat in the U.S. Senate, making him the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since 1988, Deadline reported on 4 November 2026.

Talarico, a state lawmaker from Austin, is 37 years old. The Associated Press reported the result, and The Texas Tribune covered the race in the lead-up to it.

The result also reached the world of fiction. Casey McQuiston's 2019 novel Red, White & Royal Blue follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, a character who lays out a plan to turn Texas blue. He sets it down in a 14-page memo called the Texas Binder. In the book, the plan works, and it secures a second term for President Ellen Claremont.

Vulture posted an Instagram photo of Taylor Zakhar Perez, who plays Alex in the 2023 film adaptation released by Prime Video, with the caption "History, huh? #iykyk." McQuiston answered with a single line: "It was all in the binder."

That reply is the moment fans have been sharing. It is a quick joke from the author, and it ties a real election to a plot point on the page.

The novel's story has a film life too. Prime Video made the 2023 adaptation, and the sequel, Red White & Royal Wedding, has already been shot. It is still waiting for a release date from Prime Video. No date has been announced, so viewers will need to watch the streamer's listings for news.

For a general reader, the takeaway is simple. A Texas Senate seat changed hands in a real election, and a best-selling romance about a fictional Texas plan got a moment of attention because of it. The book's sequel remains in the queue, with its release still to be set.