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Texas Senate Contest Tightens as Paxton Runs Cultural Attack and Markets Move Toward Talarico

Market shifts after a cultural attack ad have sharpened the contest, raising the importance of turnout and outside spending.

Overview

  • Prediction market Polymarket recently priced Democratic nominee James Talarico as a slight favorite while rival platform Kalshi shows the race roughly even, signaling small but visible swings in bettors’ expectations.
  • The Paxton campaign released a high‑profile video that uses girls’ sports footage and clips of Talarico’s past remarks about transgender youth to portray him as too radical for Texas.
  • Talarico has moderated some earlier public comments about trans children while running statewide and retains a multiyear fundraising edge that has financed broad advertising across Texas.
  • Prominent conservative and MAGA‑aligned voices reacted angrily to the Polymarket movement, posting alarmed messages that reflect growing anxiety on the right about the race’s trajectory.
  • The seat is consequential because a Democratic win would break a decades‑long pattern in Texas and could affect control of the U.S. Senate, leaving late turnout, outside spending, debates and final messaging likely to decide the outcome.