Texas Senate Race Tightens as Paxton and Talarico Make Closing Arguments Before Midterms

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico made closing arguments Saturday in a tossup U.S. Senate race in Texas, a state not expected to be a center of midterm elections that could shape the final chapters of President Donald Trump's second term. A New York Times report published Saturday, citing people close to the campaign, said Talarico's private polling shows a much closer race than public surveys that gave him a lead. A New York Times/Siena poll in September and a CNN/SSRS poll from Oct. 20 to 27 had him up 6 points, while other recent surveys showed a tie or a 2-point edge within the margin of error. Fox News polls had him up 51% to 49% in early October, then tied at 49. Those people said the internal numbers may not fully capture rural conservative Trump voters. Luke Warford, chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party, said Talarico has at most a 50 percent chance. Paxton draws his strongest support from rural voters, white evangelical Christians and Texans 65 and older, while Talarico, a former middle-school teacher from Austin, needs heavy Latino turnout.

Right-leaning coverage splits in focus. Breitbart leads with the Times report, and its headline says Talarico's polls are tighter than Democrats admit. It stresses the poll figures, the rural-voter blind spot and Warford's 50 percent estimate. The Daily Signal turns to Ohio, describing a costly Senate special election, a governor's race and an open attorney general contest, and notes the risks of down-ballot races with a Republican president in office. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had. AP, the alternative source, offers a broader frame, describing Republicans on defense in Texas while Michigan Democrats are divided, and its excerpt gives no polling figures.