For Talarico and Hinojosa, Whataburger Is a Perfectly Texas Place to Celebrate

Like so many Texans on so many nights, Senator-elect James Talarico and Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa ended their evening at Whataburger.Late Tuesday night, after Talarico flipped a Senate seat for the Democrats and Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of the state in more than three decades, the two sat down at an Austin-area location of Whataburger, the iconic regional fast food chain, to clink plastic orange-and-white-striped cups.It was a fitting setting for the pair, who played critical roles in the blue wave that swept the country in the midterm elections on Tuesday night. Talarico, who defeated scandal-plagued Republican Ken Paxton, went on the offensive against billionaires, prevailing with a positive, populist message against a party funded by Elon Musk and other ultrawealthy donors.Hinojosa, the first Latina to be elected governor for Texas, targeted corruption and data centers in her race against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. Both Talarico and Hinojosa will be the first Democrats in more than 30 years to serve Texas in their respective roles.But even in the midst of a polarizing political moment for the nation, loving Whataburger is bigger than politics in Texas. Since opening its first location in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950, the chain, with its signature A-frame buildings, has become a social center for small towns, a place for a budget-friendly meal for families, and a crucial hangout for high schoolers figuring out where else they’ll go that night or stopping for a late-night breakfast before heading home.Instead of popping Champagne, it’s poignant that Talarico and Hinojosa celebrated with oversize sodas. You can still get a double-burger Whatameal for under $15. These aren't the first Democrats to harness the tangy-sweet appeal of Whataburger's much-beloved Fancy Ketchup. In 2018, the campaign for senate-hopeful Beto O'Rourke shared video of him skateboarding outside a Whataburger before going inside to eat.Today’s prices are squarely in line with the affordability politics that resonated with voters this cycle. And Talarico and Hinojosa’s Whataburger cheers was a fitting end to a campaign that wove food and politics together. While casting himself as a David against Paxton’s Goliath, Talarico absorbed attacks that claimed he was vegan. While the Senator-elect had urged residents to cut down on beef consumption, he denied the dietary restriction, countering by posting pictures of himself chowing down on barbecue.Paxton still tried to label his opponent as “Tofu Talarico,” and Trump imagined a scenario where Talarico excuses himself to vomit after eating meat. The barbs were not-so-subtle assaults on Talarico’s manhood, the latest manifestation of the link between meat and masculinity. But there was Talarico on election night, sitting in the house of beef patties, Whatachick’n strips, and bacon-and-egg taquitos.After a 2019 acquisition by a Chicago-based investment firm, Whataburger has faced allegations of diminishing quality and a nascent rival in Austin’s P. Terry’s Burger Stand. And still, aside from a Dairy Queen or A&W after a high school football game, there may be nowhere in Texas that feels as Texas as a Whataburger when you’re not quite ready to call it a night.One of the defining features of Whataburger has always been its friendliness to customizing your meal—made to order. Want jalapeños and mustard on your burger, no mayo? Go right ahead, sweetie.On Tuesday night, as part of national rebuke to President Donald Trump’s party, Texas made its choice clear.