Sen. Ted Cruz calls midterm outcome a "Watergate-level repudiation" as Democrat James Talarico wins Senate race

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz shared a lengthy post on social media lamenting the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections on Wednesday evening.

Over more than three dozen paragraphs, Cruz says that he did call Senator-elect Democrat James Talarico to congratulate him and talk about working together.

But Cruz, who rallied with Ken Paxton on the campaign trail, also reckons with the fact that he is now the only statewide elected Republican left in the Lone Star State.

In his statement, Cruz appears to break with the Trump administration, writing, "Tariffs have made everything too expensive, and the Iran war has dragged on too long."

Cruz called the midterm election results "a Watergate-level repudiation" for the GOP, but added, "We will rebuild as a true blue-collar party" and "Texas will be red again."  

Sen. John Cornyn, whose seat Talarico won, congratulated the Senator-elect, saying, "The voters have spoken, and I want to extend my congratulations to James Talarico on his election to the U.S. Senate. I look forward to meeting him and offering my assistance with his transition as he prepares to serve Texans in the U.S. Senate."  

Paxton also congratulated Talarico in a speech on Tuesday night, saying he will be praying for Talarico, "that he will do good for Texas and this nation."

Talarico: "This was about Texans across the political spectrum demanding change"

Talarico appeared on "CBS Mornings" Wednesday following his decisive victory in the Texas Senate election. 

He said he wanted to use his opportunity in the Senate to get big money out of politics, overhaul campaign finance laws and limit the influence of the ultra-wealthy like Elon Musk. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO poured $150 million into boosting Republican Ken Paxton in the race.

"The power in this state, in this country, belongs to the people and we've got to make sure it stays that way," Talarico said.