New poll puts Talarico ahead in Texas Senate race
A new poll shows Democrats in Texas have a chance to win two statewide races in November, something they haven't done in more than 30 years.
Talarico leads Paxton by 6 points in Senate race
By the numbers:
Democrat James Talarico leads his Republican opponent Ken Paxton by six points, according to a Marist poll released Wednesday.
The poll shows Talarico leading Paxton 50% to 44%. The margin of error for the poll is 4.4%. The Marist poll surveyed 1,139 registered Texas voters from Sept. 17-20.
Talarico is pulling a majority of independent voters (55%).
However, the poll also showed that regardless of whom they support, 52% of Texans believe Paxton will win the Senate race.
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Polls have shown the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Texas is in a dead heat.
Hinojosa tops Abbott in latest poll
The poll also asked voters about the Texas governor's race.
Voters gave a three-point edge to Hinojosa over the incumbent Abbott, 49% to 46%, but the race is a statistical tie based on the poll's margin of error.
Hinojosa is getting a majority of the support from independents at 52%. However, 68% of registered voters believe Abbott will win reelection.
A generic congressional ballot question was also asked and 49% of registered voters said they would support the Democratic candidate, while 46% said they would support the Republican candidate. A majority of voters (60%) believe the Republican running for Congress will win.
Texas voters are more likely to say their congressional vote is a vote against President Donald Trump (39%) than one in support of him (25%), while 34% say the president is not a factor in their vote.
Only 43% of Texas voters said they approved of the job Trump is doing, while 55% said they did not approve.
Just 23% of Texas voters believe their finances have gotten better over the last year. 38% said their finances have gotten worse and 38% say they've remained the same.
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Talarico vs. Paxton: Who has the better plan to lower costs?
In a Texas Senate race defined by the rising cost of everyday life, Ken Paxton and James Talarico are offering voters different approaches to affordability. Paxton is proposing new tax deductions, an expanded Child Tax Credit and permanent "Trump Accounts," while Talarico is calling for higher wages, expanded tax credits and tougher action against corporations he says are contributing to higher prices.
Affordability is a major topic heading into the midterm elections and tops the list of concerns Texans have going into November.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a Marist Poll released on Sept. 23, 2026, that surveyed 1,139 registered Texas voters from Sept. 17-20. The margin of error on the poll is 4.4%.