Talarico leads Paxton in latest poll on Texas US Senate race
AUSTIN, Texas - The U.S. Senate race in Texas continues to be competitive, according to a poll published Tuesday.
What's new:
Texas Public Opinion Research conducted the poll of 1,048 likely Texas voters between July 15 and July 17. While the group describes itself as nonpartisan, it is run by Luke Warford, a Democrat who ran for the Texas Railroad Commission in 2022.
According to the poll, 45% of voters favor Talarico while 40% favor Paxton. The five-point difference is outside the polls plus-or-minus 3.4-point margin of error.
By the numbers:
About 14% of those polled said they were undecided, according to the poll. However, if they were forced to choose, 19% lean toward Paxton and 10% lean toward Talarico.
Most voters in the poll said they were Republican (42%) followed by Democrat (35%) and Independent (20%). Moderates and independents broke for Talarico in the poll.
The poll found that Black and Latino voters strongly favor Talarico, while white voters favor Paxton.
Ken Paxton (left) and James Talarico (right). (Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
Affordability is the top issue being considered by voters, according to the poll. Talarico leads Paxton on the issue by seven points. Other top issues include health care access and costs, Social Security and Medicare, economic growth and job creation and immigration.
What's next:
Early voting in the 2026 midterm elections starts in Texas on Oct. 19. Election Day is Nov. 3.
The Source: Information in this story came from Texas Public Opinion Research.