The Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Texascontinues to lead President Donald Trump's hand-picked Republican nominee, new polls show.
James Talarico, a Democrat and current state lawmaker, is leading Republican and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 48% to 44%, according to a poll released Oct. 13 from ReconMR and the Siena Polling Institute. Talarico's lead is down slightly from 49% to 43% in September, the polling institute said.
Talarico would be the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas in a generation. The party has been on a losing streak since 1994, the year that Democratic Gov. Ann Richards lost her re-election and only a handful of down-ballot Democrats kept their seats.
The polls come weeks from the Nov. 3 election and as the Republican
nominee,Paxton, faces increasing scrutiny of his ethical decisions while serving as the state's top law enforcement officer.
Talarico is more popular with Democrats than Paxton is with Republicans, the numbers show, and independent voters support Talarico over Paxton by a two-to-one margin. Talarico is way ahead of Paxton in Austin and San Antonio but behind him in rural areas.
A separate poll from the University of Houston found Talarico leading Paxton in Harris County, where Houston is located, by nearly double the margin that Democratic Congressman Collin Allred commanded when he ran for the Senate in 2024.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Another poll suggests James Talarico could beat Ken Paxton in Texas
