Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico continues to lead his race with only three weeks to go before the General Election.
A new poll from ReconMR and Siena Research Institute
released Tuesday, Oct. 13, showed Talarico leading Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton by four points, 48% to 44%, ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election, marking a slight decline over September numbers, which had Talarico at 49% and Paxton at 43%.“A Texas Democrat has not won an election to the U.S. Senate since 1988," ReconMR Senior Research Analyst Lindsey Hendren said in a news release. "With less than a month until Election Day, Talarico holds a small four-point lead over Paxton, 48-44%, after leading by six points last month.”
Democrat James Talarico
is holding a slight lead over Republican Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas." id="91984619007">
“Not surprisingly, both candidates are holding on to their partisan bases, as Talarico leads among Democrats 92-2% and Paxton leads among Republicans 87-7%," she continued. "Likely independent voters favor Talarico by two-to-one, 60-30%.”
The poll shows Talarico leading by a wide margin in Austin (72% to 21%) and in San Antonio/South Texas (56% to 38%), but Paxton continues to hold an 18-point advantage in rural Texas. Talarico maintains a narrow lead in Dallas/Forth Worth and the two are virtually tied in Houston.
When it comes to favorability, 48% of respondents view Talarico favorably, compared with 43% who view him unfavorably, a slight shift from the 50% to 39% favorability rating he enjoyed in September. On the other hand, 40% of respondents view Paxton favorably compared to 55% who view him unfavorably, a slight improvement over his 38% to 55% favorability rating in September.
“Can Texas Democrats – with a lot of help from outside money – flip a Republican-held Senate seat? Maybe," Hendren said. "There’s still plenty of time between now and Election Day. The race for Senate will come down to three things:turnout, turnout, turnout.”
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Democrat's lead shrinks in Texas Senate race ahead of early voting
