'We defeated Goliath,' Democrat Talarico says after Texas Senate win

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Blanca. And thank you all for being here. We just took back Texas. We just proved that all the money in the world is no match for the people of Texas. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love. And we just sent a message to every billionaire mega-donor, every trillionaire mega-donor, every corrupt defender of this broken political system. In this state, in this country, power belongs to the people. I'm reminded of that story from Scripture, of a shepherd boy who goes up against a giant. For 40 days, Goliath teases and taunts. On the day of the fight, he shows up in full armor. He's carrying so many weapons, he needs someone else to carry his shield. In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths. The richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, D.C. establishment. David. David wasn't as big or as strong as Goliath. He didn't have as many weapons, but he had hope. He had faith, and he had a slingshot. You were my slingshot. The people of Texas were my slingshot. And tonight, and tonight, we defeated Goliath. Scripture has taught me. My own life has taught me. Always bet on the underdog. Before I was a politician, I was a public school teacher. I taught language arts at Rhodes Middle School on the west side of San Antonio. And as I always say, teaching middle school is the best preparation for politics. The west side is a beautiful, historic neighborhood. It's also one of the poorest zip codes in the entire state of Texas. Every day, my students struggled heroically to overcome a rigged system. My students weren't just kids. They were survivors, dreamers, fighters. I saw it in their eyes every day, this unshakable resolve, this unconquered spirit. Growing up, I saw that same fight in my mother, a preacher's daughter from Laredo who left home at 19. She She moved up to Austin and met my birth father, a 21-year-old high school dropout whose drinking problem sometimes led to violence. One night, he became abusive again, but that night... That night, my mother's love rose to meet that abuse. She packed all our stuff into her little Ford Escort. She drove me to the hotel where she worked. She begged the manager to let us stay in one of the rooms until we found this little apartment in East Austin. There wasn't room for a nursery, so I slept in a crib in her closet. And she was so proud of that closet. She decorated it with pictures and toys. No one was going to tell her it wasn't a nursery. Always, always bet on the underdog. We were the underdogs in this race. We went up against nearly 40 years of doubt and disillusionment. We went up against more than $300 million, more than any Senate campaign in American history. We went up. Against all the negative ads, smear campaigns, foreign bots, and AI deepfakes that money can buy. Those attacks were the final howls of a dying establishment. The death rattle of a status quo that knows its days are numbered. They played dirty because they were desperate. But we never lost hope. We never lost faith. And against big money and long odds, we took our power back. Always, always bet on the underdog. We built a movement unlike any this state has ever seen. We united Texans from all backgrounds and beliefs onto one team to take on this broken, corrupt political system. First-time voters, three-time Trump voters, working people from every corner of the state who are fed up and ready for change. This win. This win is for every underdog who's been counted out and left behind. This win is for every teacher and every nurse, for every farmer and every rancher, for every young person who's trying to buy a home, for every parent who's trying to put food on the table. This win, this win is for every Texan who's ever wondered if anyone is listening. I heard you. We heard you, and tonight the world hears you. That was a victory speech, sure felt like a stump speech, of the young senator from Texas, James Tallarico. You were looking there at the next generation of Democrats surrounded by very young supporters. We've been talking all night about generational change. This is a man who spoke of the politics of division are no match for the politics of love. Thank He said, we just proved all the money in the world isn't enough. To buy Texas, we just sent a message to every billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor, we went up against our own Goliaths. You were my slingshot. The people of Texas are my slingshot, and tonight we defeated Goliath. you. You will hear a lot more in the weeks, months, and years to come from James Tallarico.