![James Talarico speaks to his supporters during his election night watch party at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, on March 3, 2026. Talarico is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and led his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, in early voting returns. [yahoo.com]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/161219035/634a9751efa588d9a2da91654659f5f8a91ea41d86baae89b5e475f6e2aafc24)
Overview
- A Fox News survey released Thursday found Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton 51% to 48% in Texas, a margin inside the poll’s ±3 point error and backed by other recent state polls showing a small Democratic edge.
- Talarico has scheduled three televised debates in September and October and says he has accepted them while Paxton’s team says he is willing to debate but has not agreed to the terms or moderators set by Talarico’s campaign.
- On Friday Paxton rolled out a multi‑pillar affordability plan that centers on large new tax deductions for healthcare and housing and announced a multi‑city tour to promote the proposal across Texas.
- Talarico’s campaign holds a sizable fundraising and advertising advantage, having poured tens of millions into media, and recent polling shows him outperforming Paxton with independents, Black voters and Hispanic voters.
- Paxton’s long record of legal and ethical controversies and questions about GOP unity have depressed donor enthusiasm and left the race sensitive to turnout, debate performances and outside spending in the months before November.