Paxton Edges Talarico 43%-42% in Texas Senate Race as GOP Voters Rally After Runoff
Updated
Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jun 23
Paxton Edges Talarico 43%-42% in Texas Senate Race as GOP Voters Rally After Runoff
3 articles · Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jun 23
Summary
A new Texas Politics Project poll put Ken Paxton ahead of James Talarico by 1 point, 43% to 42%, a sharp reversal from April when the same pollster had Talarico leading by 8.
The June 5-12 survey of 1,200 registered voters suggests Paxton has largely reunited Republicans after beating John Cornyn, with 84% of GOP voters now backing him — up 21 points from April.
Talarico still showed strength with key crossover groups, leading among independents, moderates, women by 6 points and Hispanic voters by 14, though more than a third of independents had no opinion.
Paxton led men by 9 points, while Talarico carried voters under 65 and those with at least a two-year college degree, underscoring a closely split electorate heading into a Trump-less turnout test.
The poll also showed Republicans running stronger in other statewide contests, with Greg Abbott leading 47%-40% and Dan Patrick ahead 43%-36%.