The Republican midterm convention is underway in Dallas, Texas, as the party's nominee in the state's U.S. Senate race prepares to take the stage.
Attorney General Ken Paxtonis set to address voters and eventgoers in a bid to shore up support in the hotly contested Texas Senate race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
Recent polling before the convention showed that what was once a statistically tied race is leaning more toward Democrats as Republicans try to hold on to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's seat.
Here is how to watch and what to know about the Texas Senate race.
Watch Ken Paxton speak at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas
According to the convention's agenda, Paxton will highlight a winning strategy that puts more money in thepockets of working Americans.
Recent Texas Senate polling
N+ Univision released its Sept. 9 pollthat
showed Democrat state Rep. James Talarico with a narrow edge over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, 48% to 43%, with 7% undecided in the Texas Senate race.
The N+ Univision poll is the first released in September as the election cycle enters its final stretch toward Election Day, Nov. 3.
However, among the publicly released polls conducted in August, a Texas Public Opinion Research poll was the only one showing either candidate leading by more than the poll's margin of error.
Released Aug. 27, the poll showed Talarico leading Paxton by 6 percentage points, 48% to 42%, a lead outside the poll's 3.3-percentage-point margin of error. Democratic strategist Luke Warford directs the firm, though Texas Public Opinion Research describes itself as nonpartisan.
Before that, a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll published Aug. 25 found 42% of Texas voters preferred Talarico, while 39% planned to vote for Paxton in the closely watched U.S. Senate race.
Earlier polling painted a similarly tight picture. An Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media poll released on Aug. 13 showed the Texas Senate race as a dead heat, with Paxton at 47% and Talarico at 46%.
A Texas Pulse/Texas A&M Bush School poll,released Aug. 7, showed Talarico leading 47% to 43%, while a Texas Southern University Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center poll released Aug. 4 showed Talarico ahead 47% to 45%, both within their respective margins of error.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Watch as Texas AG Paxton takes the stage at the Republican convention
