Texas Senate race tightens as Paxton, Talarico trade jabs in final campaign push

GEORGETOWN, Texas - With Election Day less than two weeks away and early voting entering its final days, the battle for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat is coming down to the wire. 

Recent polling shows Democrat James Talarico holding a razor-thin one-point lead over Republican Ken Paxton, prompting both candidates to crisscross the state to mobilize voters.

What we know:

On the campaign trail Saturday, Paxton rallied supporters in Georgetown as part of his "Come and Take It" bus tour, while Talarico addressed crowds in San Antonio on his "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" tour.

Both candidates framed the election in stark, existential terms, trading sharp personal attacks as they outlined divergent visions for Texas.

Paxton rallies base in Georgetown, warns of Senate majority stakes

Dig deeper:

In Georgetown, Paxton urged supporters to turn out early, framing the contest as pivotal not only for the Lone Star State but for the nation.

"This isn't just red versus blue; it's the America our founders gave us versus something that they would never recognize," Paxton told the crowd. "I am not exaggerating when I say we lose Texas, we lose America. That's what we're fighting for."

Paxton took direct aim at his opponent during the rally, criticizing Talarico's views on religion.

"Talarico believes that God is non-binary. I'm still looking for that in the Bible," Paxton said.

Highlighting his record as Attorney General, Paxton pointed to his legal challenges against Pfizer, Netflix, and the Biden-Harris administration. 

He also promoted his "Protecting the Texas Promise Plan," an economic platform designed to reduce household costs. The proposal includes a $25,000 deduction for medical expenses, along with a "healthy living deduction" covering youth sports fees, gym memberships, and GLP-1 weight-loss medications.

"I'm going to fight so that every Texan can buy a home, raise a family, and live a healthy life without struggling to make ends meet," Paxton said.

What they're saying:

Attendees at the Georgetown stop echoed Paxton's conservative message. One couple, who recently relocated from California, said preserving Texas’s political climate drove their move.

"We were looking for a place to go to where our vote counted, that aligned with our views as far as sovereignty for the country and for the state, and we selected Texas," they said.

Talarico campaigns in San Antonio, focuses on campaign finance and reform

The other side:

In San Antonio, Talarico cast his campaign as a grassroots fight against entrenched moneyed interests, pointing to his refusal to accept corporate funding.

"Ken Paxton represents everything that's wrong with our politics. He doesn't serve us, he serves himself," Talarico told the crowd. "I wanna be a senator for every Texan who can't afford one. You want to know why they are spending $200 million against me? Because I don't take their corporate PAC money, and I never will. I don't work for them. I work for you."

Talarico reminded voters of Paxton’s impeachment by the Texas House, emphasizing that members of both parties had voted to impeach the attorney general. 

He positioned his platform as a cross-partisan effort to reform government, pledging to enact congressional term limits, outlaw gerrymandering, and ban corporate PACs and super PACs.

"This election is a battle between the powers that be and the powers that ought to be," Talarico said. "The powers that have already chosen their candidate. They've already bought and paid for Ken Paxton. But we are standing with the powers that ought to be — the teachers and the nurses, the farmers and the ranchers."

Acknowledging the steep historical climb for Democrats — Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994 — Talarico maintained an optimistic tone.

"On November 3, we are going to do something extraordinary. We are going to do something historic," Talarico said. "We are gonna shock the nation, shock the world, when we beat the billionaires and take back Texas."

Next Stops on the Campaign Trail

What's next:

Both candidates plan to continue barnstorming the state in the coming days. Talarico is scheduled to campaign in El Paso on Monday, while Paxton will head to Amarillo to rally West Texas voters.