James Talarico celebrates 2026 midterm elections win with Gina Hinojosa at Texas Whataburger

Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa won their respective midterm election races and then celebrated with a stop at Whataburger. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott conceded the race to Hinojosa at around 10 pm. This was then followed closely by the Associated Press announcing that Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.James Talarico celebrates 2026 midterm elections win with Gina Hinojosa (@jamestalarico/X)Both of them gave speeches to crowds in Austin and shared the post Wednesday morning.Also Read | Check live coverage of the 2026 US midterms here"First stop post-win: Whataburger," Talarico said in the caption of the post on X.James’ Talarico’s victoryTalarico has won a key Senate race in Texas, and his victory over Paxton marks the first time a Democrat has won a US Senate seat in Texas since 1988. Talarico, a former schoolteacher, made the rising cost of living under Republican leadership a central theme of his run.Paxton sought Talarico's views as too progressive for Texas. Paxton campaigned alongside Trump on various occasions."We just took back Texas,” Talarico said as he emerged on stage to applause at his official watch party at a nearby performing arts theatre."We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas," he continued, referring to his win over Paxton whose campaign was backed by Elon Musk.Also Read | 'Would have won in a landslide': Trump blames Democratic gains in midterms on him not being on the ballotNBC News reported that Musk spent approximately $250 million supporting the party’s congressional campaigns during the election cycle. One of Musk’s biggest political investments was in Texas, but Paxton lost the Senate race to Democrat Talarico in the state."This win, this win is for every Texan who's ever wondered if anyone is listening," Talarico said after his victory. "I hear you, we hear you. And tonight the world hears you."According to an NBC News analysis, Democrats will win at least 252 House seats. Democrats have also flipped governorships in Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa.