Cornyn: Talarico will have ‘interesting time navigating a red state as a Democrat’

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he would do all he could to help Sen.-elect James Talarico during the transition after the incumbent and his successor met on Capitol Hill for the first time post-election.

“I told him I’ll be happy to help him all I can during the transition,” Cornyn told TMZ . “It’s normal. It used to be normal.”

Talarico won Cornyn’s Senate seat last week after the incumbent lost renomination in a May primary runoff. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beat Cornyn with Trump’s endorsement but lost to Talarico by a margin of 12 points. Previously, Texas had not elected a Democrat for Senate since 1988.

Cornyn stopped to talk to reporters in the Capitol multiple times Tuesday and was frequently asked about Talarico and the midterms.

“He seems like a nice guy, and I wish him well,” Cornyn said, according to Punchbowl News. “He’s gonna have an interesting time navigating a red state as a Democrat.”

“If he does a good job representing 32 million Texans, I’ll be cheering him on,” he added. “If he wants to try to advance the radical agenda of some members of his own party, I’ll be doing everything I can to fight him.”

Cornyn argued that Texas is still a red state, despite the fact that Democrats captured every statewide race and flipped the state house in the midterms.

Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the only remaining statewide elected Republicans in Texas, disagreed with that notion in a lengthy social media post after the election, professing that “Texas is blue.”

Cruz announced new headquarters Tuesday for the Saving Texas nonprofit run by his allies. Located in Austin, the headquarters will focus on recruiting and electing GOP candidates in the Lone Star State.

Asked by TMZ if he thinks Talarico and Cruz will be able to work together, Cornyn said, “I don’t think they have any choice.”

“They’re going to have to work together, represent 32 million people,” Cornyn said. “I’m sure they’ll work it out, and because I’m sure they both have the best interest of the people of Texas at heart.”

In his post-election statement, Cruz said he had spoken to Talarico to congratulate him on his “very impressive victory.”

“It was a pleasant conversation, and I told him that I looked forward to working with him to try to benefit Texas,” Cruz said.