James Talarico and Ken Paxton in dead heat in razor tight Texas Senate race

Filed 1d ago · Via Newsweek · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

Meatball Parade

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: The White House · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

A new Overton Strategies poll of likely Texas voters puts Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton tied at 50 percent each in the U.S. Senate race, one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms. The poll follows Paxton's primary win over incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but several other recent surveys, including ones from Texas Public Opinion Research, Fox News, Texas A&M, TSU, and the University of Texas, all showed Talarico ahead by margins ranging from 2 to 6 points. The same Overton poll also found Governor Greg Abbott leading Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa 51 to 49 percent, a tighter margin than Abbott has typically faced.

Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball both rate the Senate race a tossup, while both rate the governor's race as leaning Republican. Democrats need to flip four GOP-held seats to take Senate control.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

Six polls, six different numbers, and every outlet gets to run the headline it likes best. That is not analysis, that is a menu. Ask around at any gathering and you will find the same thing: everybody has a strong opinion and a different set of numbers to back it up.

Source: Read the original at Newsweek → Scored: Meatball Parade · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

Read it scored.

Every story, every clown, every kazoo — in your pocket. Music plays automatically. Regret is optional.

GET IT ON iOS GET IT ON ANDROID