DENVER, Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico urged Democrats on Thursday to pursue immediate economic relief through cooperation with President Donald Trump, arguing that voters should not have to wait for another presidency to see change. Speaking after his historic election victory, he said delivering results must take priority over partisan hostility and political distractions.
Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, but Trump will retain the presidency and his veto power until 2029. Talarico, the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988, said that arrangement requires his party to work with the president. He called on Democrats to help make Trump’s remaining two years exceptionally productive, even if the president receives some credit for their accomplishments.
“The American people cannot wait two years for change. So we must work with President Trump,” Talarico said at the two-day What’s Next conference, organized by Majority Democrats. He suggested that Democrats could help Trump achieve the kind of recognition associated with former President Lyndon B. Johnson, a fellow Texan, invoking the plaques, portraits and busts honoring Johnson.
The address echoed arguments Talarico made during his campaign. He had said his objective was not to make Texas entirely Democratic, explaining that he believed voters preferred government that was divided but balanced. He also criticized politicians who set communities against each other, arguing that powerful interests encouraged Americans to direct their anger elsewhere while billionaires accumulated more wealth.
Talarico presented the election outcome as a substantial mandate for Democrats while emphasizing that it did not remove the need for cooperation with Republicans and the White House. He said the stakes extended beyond either party and described Americans as exhausted by a decade of politics that encouraged division and hostility.
His remarks came amid a Democratic debate over how to balance advancing legislation with investigating Republicans. The White House has indicated that it intends to resist congressional investigations into the administration. Talarico has previously argued that oversight and cooperation can happen together. “We need accountability and we need to deliver,” he told NBC News earlier this month.
Talarico’s winning campaign emphasized opposition to corruption and cast his contest as a David-and-Goliath struggle against Elon Musk. Musk alone spent more than $168 million supporting Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton. At Thursday’s gathering, Talarico pointed to his victory despite that financial support as evidence of what his campaign had overcome.
