President Donald Trumpis scheduled to visit Lubbock on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a midterm rally supporting Republican Ken Paxton's bid for the U.S. Senate against Democrat James Talarico. The rally's location has not yet been announced.
The event announcement
lists doors opening at 11 a.m., with the program beginning at 1 p.m. and Trump's remarks scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Registration is limited to four tickets per signup.Trump endorsed Paxton in May during the Republican Senate primary runoff against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton went on to win the Republican nomination and will face Talarico, a Texas state representative from Austin, in the November general election.
The race has drawn national attention as Republicans seek to retain their Senate
majority and Democrats look for an opportunity to win a statewide race in Texas. Trump has publicly backed Paxton and criticized Republicans he believes have undermined the attorney general's campaign.
Recent polling has shown a competitive contest between Paxton and Talarico. A CBS News poll conducted Oct. 8-16 among 1,492 registered Texas voters found Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 49%, within the poll's margin of error of 3.4 percentage points, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The Lubbock rally will give Trump an opportunity to campaign publicly for Paxton as the candidates head toward Election Day on Nov. 3.
Organizers have not announced the rally venue or released additional event details.
Talarico is also planning to host a rally in Lubbock on Oct. 27. That event is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Frazier Alumni Pavillion on the Texas Tech campus.
Who is Ken Paxton?
Paxton is the Texas attorney general and the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. He was first elected attorney general in 2014 and has won reelection twice.
Paxton previously served in the Texas House from 2003 to 2013 and in the Texas Senate from 2013 to 2015. He is seeking to move to the U.S. Senate after defeating four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the May GOP primary runoff.
President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton shortly before the Republican runoff. Paxton is now facing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the November general election.
Paxton has been a prominent legal opponent of Democratic administrations and has led Texas in lawsuits challenging federal policies on issues including immigration, environmental regulations and other federal actions.
His political career has also included significant legal and ethics controversies. He was indicted on felony securities-fraud charges in 2015, though those charges were later dropped as part of a 2024 plea agreement. In 2023, the Texas House impeached Paxton on allegations including abuse of office and improper use of state resources. The Texas Senate acquitted him after a trial.
Paxton has denied wrongdoing in the various matters and has continued to win statewide elections. His latest campaign is his first run for federal office.
Who is James Talarico?
Talarico is the Democratic nominee challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for Texas' U.S. Senate seat in November. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, making the race one of the party's biggest opportunities in the state in decades.
Talarico has sought to position himself as an underdog while campaigning against Paxton, who defeated U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff.
2026 election dates to know
- Oct. 5: Last day to register to vote.
- Oct. 19: Early voting begins.
- Oct. 23: Last day to apply for a ballot by mail. Application must be received, not postmarked, by this date.
- Oct. 30: Last day of early voting.
- Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Nov. 3: Deadline for most mail ballots to be received is 7 p.m. on Election Day. Some properly postmarked ballots may be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 4.
Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the nation as the Weather Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network and contributes to Texas Connect coverage across the state. She can be reached at baddison@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Facebook here.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: President Trump to visit Lubbock to campaign for Ken Paxton
