Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico wants Democrats to abolish the Senate filibuster if they take control of the chamber, calling it a “relic of segregation” that prevents elected majorities from governing.
Talarico, who defeated Republican Ken Paxton on Tuesday, supported abolishing the filibuster in an interview with NBC News reporter Ryan Chandler.
“Yes. I believe that most people have the right to govern this country,” Talarico said. “And the filibuster, that’s not in the Constitution — it’s a relic of Jim Crow. It’s causing gridlock in our nation’s capital.”
He argued that eliminating the process would allow Congress to address the costs of groceries, gasoline, utilities and health care, adding that any party should be able to govern after winning a Senate majority.
However, Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) declined to say whether Democrats would eliminate the filibuster following their election victory.
“Look, we’re focused – the first thing we have to do is lower costs for people and move forward with the legislative process,” Schumer explain When asked if Democrats plan to “stop the filibuster.”
Democrats won control of the Senate but fell short of the 60 votes typically needed to overcome most legislative filibusters. Eliminating the legislative filibuster would allow a simple majority to advance most bills without reaching that threshold. Budget reconciliation and certain other measures have been exempted.
When Republicans controlled the Senate, President Donald Trump repeatedly urged his party to abolish the filibuster, but Republican leaders refused.
In December 2025, Trump told Politico The filibuster is hurting Republicans and calls for Republican senators to eliminate it “without question”. He argued that eliminating the rule would allow Republicans to advance their agenda, including health care and election administration legislation, without requiring Democratic votes.
Trump has made the request during the 2025 government shutdown, urging Republicans to end the obstruction so they can reopen the government and advance legislation without cooperation from Democrats. Senate Republicans rejected the proposal, with Majority Leader John Thune saying he was aware of the situation on the ballots and that lifting the rule “is not going to happen.”
Republican Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) warn At the time, Democrats were poised to eliminate the filibuster as soon as they regained control of the Senate and argued that Republicans should act first. Other Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and James Lankford (R-OK), argued that the process is critical to maintaining bipartisanship.
trump card updated He made the request in July 2026, urging Republicans to end the filibuster so they could pass the Save America Act, a bill he supports that would require additional proof of citizenship when registering voters. Thune boycotted again, saying Republicans did not have enough votes to repeal the rule.
Now that Democrats have captured the Senate, Trump’s warnings about potential Democratic actions are becoming a central issue for the incoming majority. While Schumer declined to commit publicly, Talarico’s comments provided an unusually clear indication of where at least one prominent Democratic candidate stands.
Eliminating the filibuster doesn’t guarantee passage of every Democratic proposal: The party still needs to maintain a full majority in the Senate and secure support in the House and the president. But it would remove one of the most important procedural hurdles to passing legislation along party lines.