HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — Texas state Representative James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the state’s U.S. Senate race, has closed the gap between him and Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The two candidates are neck-and-neck three months out from the November election, a trio of recent polls show. Talarico, who opened the race as a slight underdog, is leading Paxton among voters by a couple of percentage points, within the margins of error.
Fox News’s poll, conducted late last month, places the Democrat in a three-point lead, while surveys run last week by Texas Southern University and research firm Wedgewood Polls put Paxton in a two-point deficit.
Talarico’s Democratic label initially harmed his campaign to become the first member of his party to win a Senate seat in Texas since 1988. The party’s popularity has stayed low in the red state for years, and the lawmaker lacked trust among voters unfamiliar with his record.
But over the past few months, Talarico’s standing has grown with independents and moderate Republicans feeling upset over the GOP’s governance in Washington and Paxton’s history of scandals. The party’s shiny brand has lost its luster over the past year and a half, and the attorney general’s legal issues are only hurting its attempts to solidify the coalition that drove it to power in 2024.
Do you have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.