Trump Returns to Texas for Paxton as Talarico Competes in Close Senate Race

President Donald Trump returned to Texas about a week before Election Day to campaign for Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, using former football stars to energize Republican voters in a tight U.S. Senate race. Paxton faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, 37, of Austin, for the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Polls show Talarico with a small, steady edge, and no Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994. CBS News reported that voter worries about high costs, especially gas, are fueling hopes of a Talarico win. Reason said unpopular tariffs and an unpopular war weigh on Republicans, Paxton carries scandals, and anger over the state's data center boom helps Talarico. Separately, Texas Children's Hospital launched a detransition clinic months after a settlement with Paxton's office.

MS NOW, on the left, leads with Trump's visit and the football star power meant to turn out the base for Paxton. CBS News focuses on gas prices and cost-of-living worries that could put Texas in play, with Tony Dokoupil reporting. Both treat Talarico's chance of ending the Democratic statewide drought as the central question. The right-leaning Daily Signal does not address the Senate race in the excerpt provided. It reports on the detransition clinic, listing its endocrinology, surgery, psychiatry and other services, and ties Paxton in only through the settlement. Reason, an independent outlet, offers a distinct angle: data center backlash, with pointed descriptions of both candidates. NewsNation asks whether Texas is in play.