Story perspectives

James Talarico Leads Ken Paxton 48%-46% in Poll

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 2:51 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 48%-46% in a University of Houston poll of 2,000 Texas voters Oct 10-14.
Talarico leads Black, 18-34, and urban voters.
Paxton leads rural, white, and 55+ voters.
Early voting began two weeks before the Nov 3 election, making turnout decisive in the tied Texas Senate race.
Democratic Senate candidates lead Republican opponents in October 2026 polls, with Talarico’s narrow Texas edge highlighted.

History

Historical Context

After the 1994 Republican Revolution gave the GOP its first unified Congress since 1952, Kay Bailey Hutchison won Texas’s Class 2 Senate seat with 60.8% of the vote—the first full-term Republican victory for that seat. The wave reshaped Texas politics, paving the way for today’s tight 2024 contest in which Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton in polls.

1 of 2

Story summary

Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 48%-46% in a University of Houston poll of 2,000 Texas voters Oct 10-14.
Talarico leads Black, 18-34, and urban voters.
Paxton leads rural, white, and 55+ voters.
Early voting began two weeks before the Nov 3 election, making turnout decisive in the tied Texas Senate race.
Democratic Senate candidates lead Republican opponents in October 2026 polls, with Talarico’s narrow Texas edge highlighted.

1 / 2