Democrats gain momentum in pivotal US Senate and governor’s races in Texas
James Talarico leads Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, signalling a potential shift in the Republican stronghold. A spate of recent polls signals that
James Talarico leads Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, signalling a potential shift in the Republican stronghold. A spate of recent polls signals that Democrats are gaining traction in both the races for United States Senate and the governor’s mansion in Texas, turning a reliably Republican state into a battleground ahead of the November midterm elections. On Friday, the nonpartisan research initiative Texas Pulse, helmed in part by the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service, released its latest public opinion survey into the state’s midterm races. It found that James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, is now leading the US Senate race by four points, with 47 percent support. His Republican rival, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, trailed at 43 percent. Those statistics suggested growing momentum for Talarico, who was tied with Paxton in an earlier Texas Pulse poll from June. Texas Pulse’s findings echo another poll, released on Thursday, that showed Talarico leading Paxton 48 percent to 45 percent. Another 6 percent of respondents said they were undecided. That poll, conducted by the research firms YouGov and 254 Labs, suggested that Talarico had a significant advantage among undecided and independent voters in the Lone Star State. An estimated 57 percent of independent voters preferred the Democratic candidate over his Republican competitor, although 20 percent said they remained undecided.
A Fox News poll from late July similarly found that 68 percent of independents are getting behind Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative. While polls can vary dramatically in the months leading up to an election, the latest survey results are likely to serve as a bellwether for Democratic odds in November’s midterms. The left-leaning party is hoping to wrest both chambers of Congress from Republican control. Should Democrats succeed in doing so, their majorities could serve as a bulwark against President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his presidency. But analysts believe the Senate may be more difficult to flip than the House of Representatives. While all 435 seats in the House are up for grabs in November, only a third of the Senate is on the ballot. That makes every Senate race critical to either party maintaining — or retaking — control of the upper chamber. Cost of living concerns Texas has long-established bona fides as a Republican stronghold. No Democrat has held statewide office in Texas in more than three decades. But the open Senate seat in Texas has created an unusually competitive race for Democrats. Paxton, the Trump-endorsed candidate, defeated the incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary in May.
The BriefWire