Story perspectives

Talarico Leads Paxton in Texas Senate Poll, Tight Race

9/10/2026

Left

Talarico Leads Poll

Candidate James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are contesting the Texas U.S. Senate seat in September 2026 election.
His campaign launched the “Love Thy Neighbor” food drive, citing food and fuel prices and accusing GOP donors of worsening food insecurity.
An Aug. 24 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll showed Talarico leading Paxton 42% to 39%.
Paxton aide David Maxwell featured in a Talarico ad, accusing Paxton of corruption and firing.

Right

Talarico Recants

Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are contesting Texas’s U.S. Senate seat in September 2026.
Rep. Brandon Gill mocked Talarico’s faith as a “skin suit,” while Secretary Brooke Rollins and Pastor Jack Graham invoked God’s guidance, “womb-to-tomb” defense at convention.
Talarico recanted his earlier six-gender and non-binary God comments during a Fox News interview.
Pastor Jack Graham opened the convention with a prayer for rebirth and “womb-to-tomb” life protection.

Center

Paxton Needs Debate

Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are vying for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat in the September 2026 election.
Rep. Pete Sessions warned Paxton cannot win without a debate, noting roughly 30 % of voters expect one.
August polls from four Texas groups showed a dead-heat race within the margin of error.
Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert posted their Talarico interviews on YouTube after FCC pressure barred broadcast.

Blindspot

Democratic candidate James Talarico organized the “Love Thy Neighbor” food drive, collecting more than twenty-thousand pounds of groceries in Dallas, Plano, Glenn Heights, Fort Worth and Denton, framing it as a critique of GOP donors and policies amid rising food and fuel costs.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning and Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 1993 Kay Bailey Hutchison won a Senate race, becoming the first Republican elected to that Texas seat since Reconstruction and securing a full term in 1994. Her win aligned with the 1994 Republican Revolution, which also saw George W. Bush defeat Governor Ann Richards. The 2026 contest between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton echoes that partisan shift.

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Talarico Leads Poll

Candidate James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are contesting the Texas U.S. Senate seat in September 2026 election.
His campaign launched the “Love Thy Neighbor” food drive, citing food and fuel prices and accusing GOP donors of worsening food insecurity.
An Aug. 24 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll showed Talarico leading Paxton 42% to 39%.
Paxton aide David Maxwell featured in a Talarico ad, accusing Paxton of corruption and firing.

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