James Talarico appears on Saturday Night Live after Texas Senate victory

Newly elected Democratic Senator James Talarico made an appearance during the cold open of Saturday Night Live, the New York Post and Variety reported. The public appearance came days after the Texas politician won his race in the 2026 midterm elections. [1][3]

During his appearance on the show, Talarico joked with the audience, introducing himself as the person who had been texting voters every day asking for five dollars, according to the New York Post and Variety. Variety reported that the audience greeted the senator elect with cheers near the end of the sketch. [1][3]

The television appearance followed a historic political victory in Texas. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Talarico defeated Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the midterm election, flipping a Texas Senate seat that the Republican Party had held for over 30 years. [10][11]

Talarico is an American politician and educator who has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2018, according to Wikipedia. Following the election results, President Donald Trump shared posts on social media questioning the midterm outcomes and citing alleged unusual voting patterns in Texas, the Daily Mail reported. [2][8]