As election results rolled in on Tuesday night, San Antonians rolled into the downtown streets honking, cheering and waving signs and flags.

“This is just like a monumental shift in Texas politics, and it’s really fun to celebrate,” said Cassandra Chavez.

She and her friends had just left a show at the Aztec Theatre and joined a group of onlookers congregating along the sidewalk. Crowds gathered along Commerce Street, from City Hall to the River Walk.

A mixture of Texas, U.S. and Mexico flags were draped outside of passing cars, which blared their horns. Several vehicles circled downtown blocks, waving Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico signs, celebrating their respective victories in the governor and Senate races.

“In our lifetime, we have never had a Democrat win a statewide election. It is an incredible, incredible feat,” said John M. Trevino, one of Chavez’s friends.

Trevino and Chavez said they had been in the middle of The Story So Far concert when phones started lighting up with election results.

Chavez’s sister Caitlyn Chavez said she was excited to see people from her generation get involved and vote.

The trio were excited about progressive positions on state issues like regulation of data centers and water use, as well as around national issues such as immigration and women’s reproductive rights.

Karla Pulido, another San Antonio resident, was excited about Hinojosa’s win and hoped it would lead to better protections for women’s rights. She said the wins by Democrats in Texas and across the country gave her faith in the U.S. political system.

“We were afraid that if things went differently, they were kind of going to be over, not only for the American people, but for the American system. This really gives me hope,” she said.

Michael Peña, who was celebrating on Commerce Street, said it was his second time voting in an election.

“This time, it definitely felt different. Everyone has been talking about it,” he said.

Further down the street, near the River Walk, Matthew Griffin was watching as a crowd of more than 70 gathered near the big, red “Torch of Friendship” sculpture.

“It’s time for change,” Griffin said. “It feels like a cloudy day and the sun is coming out.”

He remembers the last time Texas had a Democratic governor in Ann Richards, he said, and he didn’t expect Democrats to win back statewide elections today.

Tourists also filtered out onto the downtown streets, cheering and celebrating including Alice Cepeda, who lives in Arizona, but was born and raised in San Antonio.

“I’m excited about the future,” she said. “I’m very proud to say I’m from San Antonio. My whole family lives here and they went out and voted and they’re excited.”

Bianca Kaufman stood near the River Walk, just barely in view of the Tower of the Americas. She had volunteered on Democratic campaigns since 2016, she said, and was supporting Talerico and Hinojosa.

“This has been a build up to some results and relief from all the hard work we’ve done for the last 10 years, so it’s very emotional,” Kaufman said. “I just wanted to come down here and share in the joy.”

She said she was stunned at first, but then decided she wanted to be downtown. She waived a Talarico campaign sign as cars slid past, honking in the San Antonio night.

“You feel connected, you feel we’re all in this together,” she said. “We all came to the polls and voted.”