Texans' reaction to election range from 'historic victory' to 'despair'

Texas lawmakers are responding to Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election. Trump declared victory in a speech after midnight Wednesday morning.

"President Donald J. Trump. The 45th & 47th Presidents of the United States of America. God Bless America," Governor Greg Abbott posted on X.

Abbott said every candidate he supported for the Texas House of Representatives won, and he now has "more than enough votes to pass school choice in Texas" during the legislative session that will start in January.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick chaired Donald Trump's election campaign in Texas and wrote , "Americans took their country back from the radical socialist left."

The Texas Republican Party says, "America has spoken."

"President Trump will make America greater than ever before-closing the border, fixing the economy and protecting our cities," the organization wrote on X.

Senator John Cornyn said voters showed they are "rightly fed up with a Biden-Harris Administration that has only made their lives harder, not easier." In a statement early Wednesday, he said he worked with Trump two appoint two Supreme Court justices and pass tax reform.

"I'm confident President Trump will hit the ground running to restore the Office of the President to what it should be – one that keeps the American people safe and prosperous. It is critically important that the Senate is prepared to enact his pro-growth agenda from day one. Come January, we must be ready to confirm his nominees, pass a budget, address our debt, extend the Trump tax cuts, and reverse Kamala Harris' disastrous border security policies," Cornyn wrote.

Among Democrats, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett did not have a Republican opponent in her election for a second term, beating a Libertarian challenger with 85% of the vote. She reposted several tweets on election results Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, including one questioning how "all of a sudden, voter fraud is no longer a concern." Another said Democrats helped elect the first Black president and then the first female vice president while Republicans elected the "first convicted felon president."

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo posted a two page essay on X saying her message is "don't despair."

"I do not believe those who voted for Mr. Trump did so *because* of his authoritarian wishes, or the negative impacts of his extreme proposals, although I do believe there is still a gender barrier in politics. Perhaps they voted for him because they felt he would bring a stronger household economy and bring down inflation, or better manage our borders," she wrote.

Hidalgo urged Democrats to instead "work to better connect with the many ordinary people who felt Donald Trump offered enough promise to outweigh his clear threats to our institutions."

Donald Trump won Texas with about 56% of the vote. In 2020, Trump beat Joe Biden in Texas 52 to 47%.