James Talarico calls for unity in victory speech after winning Texas Senate race
In a victory speech after winning the U.S. Senate race in Texas, the speaker celebrates a campaign transformed into a movement built by underdogs. Emphasizing a politics of love rather than division, the newly elected senator pledges to represent all Texans, fight economic inequality and take big money out of politics to heal deep political divides.
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Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, on Wednesday gave a scathing assessment of the Republicans’ heavy midterm electoral defeats, calling the results a “blue tsunami” and warning that his party had lost touch with voters, particularly in the Lone Star State.
In a lengthy article on X, Cruz acknowledged that Republicans suffered historic defeats, losing control of both houses of Congress while Democrats swept Texas’ statewide elections.
“2026 wasn’t just a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was a…kick,” Cruz wrote. “It wasn’t just a bad midterm election in 2006. It was a rejection on the scale of Watergate.”
His blunt assessment comes after a historic Democratic breakthrough in traditionally Republican strongholds across the country, including in his home state, where Democrats won every statewide election, ending decades of Republican dominance.
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, delivers remarks during the second day of the Republican Midterm Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, September 10, 2026. (Laura Brett/Sipa USA)
“Nowhere are the consequences of this election more consequential than in Texas,” Cruz wrote. “In the Lone Star State, we lost every statewide election.”
“Texas is blue. It’s a difficult sentence to say. But Texas, at least today, is blue,” he continued.
Democrats scored two major victories in Texas, with James Talarico defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race — marking the first Democratic Senate victory in the Lone Star State in nearly four decades — and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa unseating longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, according to the Fox News Decision Desk.
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Democratic Senate candidate Texas State Representative James Talarico speaks at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
Cruz argued that Republicans’ political defeat resulted from their failure to address growing frustration over the cost of living as voters continued to struggle with daily expenses.
“Food is too expensive, gas is too expensive, diesel is too expensive, insurance is too expensive, life is too expensive,” he wrote.
“Understandably, people were angry and Republican elected officials did not do enough to address their very real pain,” Cruz said.
He also criticized tariffs and the protracted war with Iran, arguing that both contributed to voter frustration.
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Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2026 Texas gubernatorial election, marking a historic Democratic victory in the traditionally Republican stronghold, according to the Fox News Decision Desk. (Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)
He said Republicans had lost support from blue-collar workers, young voters, farmers, ranchers and Hispanic voters, while evangelical Christians had failed to turn out with the same enthusiasm as in previous elections, concluding that his party had “alienated rural America.”
Cruz said he called Talarico after the election to congratulate him on his victory.
“Last night I called James Talarico. I congratulated him on his very impressive victory,” Cruz wrote, adding that the two had a “pleasant conversation” and that he was willing to work with the Democrat on issues benefiting Texas.
Despite considerable losses, which also include Democratic victories in the state’s lieutenant governor and attorney general elections, Cruz expressed optimism that Republicans could regain ground in Texas..
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Senator Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“But hear me now: We will bring Texas back,” he wrote. “Texas will be red again.”
Throughout the campaign, Talarico presented himself as a moderate dedicated to representing the interests of Texans rather than those of Democrats in Washington.
Paxton, along with President Donald Trump and other national Republicans, called Talarico a “communist” and a vegan in barbecue-loving Texas, highlighting his support for the transgender community while in the Texas Legislature and a speech in which he said God was “non-binary.”
“We didn’t suddenly become a bunch of tofu-eating, gun-banning, tutu-wearing communist liberals,” Cruz wrote. “It’s not us. Texas is still Texas.”
“We will rebuild ourselves as a true working-class party, not by embracing socialism, but by being true free-market conservatives,” he continued, predicting a Republican political comeback.
“It’s dark right now, but it’s always darkest before dawn, and morning is coming,” he said.
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Alex Miller, Elizabeth Elkind and Amanda Macias of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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