As Election Day nears, President Donald Trump stopped in San Antonio to boost Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race and other Republican candidates in key races.
The stop on Oct. 7 comes as Republicans face hurdles in Texas' U.S. Senate race, where early-fall polls show Democrat James Talarico leading Paxton less than two weeks before early voting begins.
Recent October polling from Fox News and The New York Times also showed Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 46% in the Times poll, while a Fox News poll put him up 51% to 49%, within the margin of error.
Other summer polling in state racesshowed Republicans still leading, but Democrats were narrowing those margins by a few percentage points.
Beyond the polls, Trump weighed in on the Texas Senate race,
as well as on some statewide and congressional races, to boost the Republican ticket. Here's what he said.
Trump doubles down on support for Ken Paxton in Texas Senate race, calls out Talarico
Trump, using the nicknames Republicans have given Talarico — "Talafreako" — said a vote for the Democrat "would be a vote to turn Texas into a dirty, failing, crime-ridden, third-world country dumping ground."
"A vote for Ken Paxton is a vote to save Texas and defend everything that makes Texas great and makes America great," Trump said.
Trump called out Talarico for being "missing" from the campaign trail in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Talarico and his campaign said he was diagnosed with the flu, which he disclosed during a virtual event with the United States Hispanic Business Council on Sept. 30, after he was initially scheduled to attend in person.
During the rally, Trump also invited Paxton onstage. Paxton said Republicans would win the Texas Senate race on Nov. 3.
Trump weighs in on battleground congressional races in Texas
Trump showed his support for Republican Carlos De La Cruz, who is running in the 35th Congressional District against Democratic candidate Johnny Garcia, after recent political analysis of the race moved its rating toward Democrats.
Cook Political Report on Sept. 25 moved the San Antonio-area congressional race from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican," while Republicans should still have the advantage, as the district has a sizable Hispanic population (54%) and is less volatile than districts in the Rio Grande Valley.
Trump also briefly voiced support for several Republican incumbents and two candidates in open-seat races — Chris Gober in Texas' 10th Congressional District and Brandon Herrera in Texas' 23rd Congressional District.
Cook Political Report rates Texas' 10th as solid Republican but has Texas' 23rd as likely Republican.
Herrera, a 30-year-old “gunfluencer," has a YouTube channel, “The AK Guy,” riddled with jokes about the Holocaust, veterans’ suicide and the Civil War, Cook Political Report notes. A CNN review in September documented years of derogatory and sexually explicit comments about women, including feminists and gun-safety activist Shannon Watts.
Trump throws support behind several Texas statewide races
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also got a shoutout from the president and support during the rally, as Patrick has served as Trump's Texas state campaign chairman since 2016.
"He's also been the best lieutenant governor you could ever have," Trump said. "Go out and vote for Dan Patrick."
But Patrick wasn't the only candidate to get a shoutout; he also praised Mayes Middleton's win in the May primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, making him the Republican nominee for Texas attorney general.
Middleton, who branded himself as 'MAGA Mayes' during the primary, never received an endorsement from the president during the March primary or the May runoff.
Who didn't get a shoutout from Trump at the rally?
Most notably, Gov. Greg Abbott didn't get a shoutout from the president, and his campaign says he wasn't at the rally because of scheduling conflicts. However, Trump has endorsed Abbott in his reelection bid against Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa in November.
Since the March primaries, Abbott has led Hinojosa in the polls, but she has stayed within striking distance, keeping the gap in single digits. However, a New York Times October poll showed Hinojosa with a 49% to 46% edge over Abbott, within the margin of error.
Recent political analysis still favors Republicans, but with some Democratic potential, as Cook Political Report on Aug. 20 moved the race from "Solid Republican" to "Likely Republican."
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas, based in Austin. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump backs Ken Paxton, Dan Patrick, Texas GOP at San Antonio rally
