Talarico Pitches Cooperation With Trump After Texas Senate Win

James Talarico, the Democrat who defeated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state’s Senate race, said on November 4 that he was prepared to cooperate with President Donald Trump on several issues when he takes office in January. Trump had endorsed Paxton.

Talarico Signals He’ll Work With Trump to Deliver for Texans

James Talarico’s message after winning Texas’s Senate race was that results matter more than political payback. On November 4, the senator-elect said he would seek common ground with President Donald Trump on issues affecting Texans, despite Trump’s endorsement of defeated candidate Ken Paxton.

Talarico named immigration reform, housing construction, fuel costs and marijuana legalization as possible areas for cooperation. On immigration, he praised Trump’s border security efforts while also calling for more legal routes into the country and a path to citizenship for long-settled immigrants.

He said reducing housing regulations could help enable the construction of millions of homes. Talarico also backed suspending federal gas and diesel taxes, saying the change would cut fuel costs by 18 cents per gallon, and voiced support for legalizing marijuana and changing the criminal justice system.

His approach puts practical gains for constituents ahead of reflexive opposition. The challenge will be turning shared priorities into results while pressing for the broader immigration changes he says are needed. Talarico said he intended to serve Texans who did not vote for him as well as those who did.

Talarico Opens Door to Working With Trump on Shared Priorities

Texas senator-elect James Talarico is signaling that governing should not mean automatic resistance to President Donald Trump. After defeating Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton, Talarico said on November 4 he was ready to cooperate with the president on several issues.

He credited Trump with doing a better job securing the border than the previous administration, while advocating comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security and expanded legal pathways. Talarico also called for a path to citizenship for immigrants who have lived in the country for years or decades.

On housing, he said regulations that his own party has supported should be cut to help build millions of homes. He also said he and Trump agree on suspending federal fuel taxes, which he said would reduce costs by 18 cents per gallon, and on legalizing marijuana and reforming criminal justice.

Talarico rejected retribution and said his priority was making life better for Texans. The test now is whether his stated willingness to work with Trump becomes real cooperation—or gives way to the partisan stalemate he says he wants to avoid.