Story perspectives

Talarico Leads Paxton 50%-45% as Campaign Raises $64M

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 14:50 UTC · How we work

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Summary

U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico each held rallies in Lubbock, Texas on Oct. 28, 2026.
Both rallies attracted roughly 4,000 attendees, according to venue capacity estimates and on-site reporters.
A Univision/YouGov poll released Oct. 27 showed Talarico at 50% support versus Paxton’s 45%.
Talarico’s campaign has raised a record $64 million for the Senate race.
The campaign reports having 60,000 volunteers.

History

In the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump carried Texas by an 8.99 % margin, earning 36 electoral votes from 8.97 million ballots (46.45 % of the voting-age population) and marking the tenth consecutive Republican win in the state. That high-turnout, heavily funded contest foreshadows the 2026 Lubbock rallies where Trump and Democrat James Talarico each draw about 4,000 supporters, echoing Texas’s recent mobilization patterns.

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Historical Context

In the 2016 presidential race, Donald Trump carried Texas by an 8.99 % margin, earning 36 electoral votes from 8.97 million ballots (46.45 % of the voting-age population) and marking the tenth consecutive Republican win in the state. That high-turnout, heavily funded contest foreshadows the 2026 Lubbock rallies where Trump and Democrat James Talarico each draw about 4,000 supporters, echoing Texas’s recent mobilization patterns.

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