Early voting began October 21 in Texas and runs through October 30, with Election Day on November 3. Recent polls show the U.S. Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is closely contested, unlike other statewide races where Republicans lead.
Where
Statewide
When
Early voting began Oct. 21 and runs through Oct. 30; Election Day is Nov. 3
Sources
Reported by 8 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
James TalaricoDemocratic candidate for U.S. Senate
Ken PaxtonRepublican candidate for U.S. Senate
Greg AbbottRepublican candidate for governor
Cristina Tzintzun HinojosaDemocratic candidate for governor
Ted BrownLibertarian candidate for U.S. Senate
University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairsconducted polling
The facts
University of Houston Hobby School poll of 2,000 likely voters conducted Oct. 10-14 shows Talarico at 48%, Paxton at 46%.2
Hobby School poll margin of error is plus or minus 2.19 percentage points.2
Paxton wins 88% of Republicans in Hobby School poll; 6% of Republicans back Talarico; 3% back Brown.2
Abbott wins 93% of Republicans in Hobby School poll.2
Paxton viewed favorably by 41% of likely voters, unfavorably by 57% in Hobby School poll.2
Talarico viewed favorably by 47%, unfavorably by 50% in Hobby School poll.2
Abbott viewed favorably by 49%, unfavorably by 51% in Hobby School poll.2
Three independent polls in recent weeks show Talarico ahead of Paxton in Senate race.2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
The Kerr County Lead reporting on polls Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.2
Republican ticket Republicans lead every other statewide race besides Senate, from governor down to railroad commissioner.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
GOP, Democrats battle for Senate control as early voting gets underway in several battleground states
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Early voting is underway in Texas for Nov. 3 midterm elections. Voter registration backlogs caused by state errors have created situations where voters' names may not appear in polling place lists. Voters in this situation can cast provisional ballots, which are kept separate and reviewed after the election.
Texas Department of Public Safety, caused backlog of voter registration updates through driver's license portal; Early Voting Ballot Board, makes determinations on provisional ballots
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa held a campaign rally in San Antonio and announced plans to hold a rally in El Paso on October 28, 2026.
Actor Matthew McConaughey released a 6-minute statement endorsing political independence as an concept rather than endorsing any candidate or party during Texas election season.
Matthew McConaughey, Actor; Jared Woodfill, Conservative Republicans of Texas; Conservative Republicans of Texas, Organization commenting on endorsement
A poll shows Democratic candidate Bobby Pulido leading Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz in the race for Texas's 15th Congressional District, with the election days away. The survey found Pulido favored by South Texas voters who supported Trump in 2024.
Bobby Pulido, Democratic candidate for Texas 15th Congressional District; Monica De La Cruz, Republican U.S. Representative seeking re-election in Texas 15th Congressional District; Mark Jones, Political scientist at Rice University and co-director of poll and 2 more
Billionaire Elon Musk endorsed Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race. Musk posted on X that "the fate of Texas and America is at stake" and urged voting for Paxton. Musk has donated over $150 million to a PAC supporting Paxton's candidacy.
$over $150 million for donations to political action committee supporting Paxton
Elon Musk, Billionaire, Paxton endorser and donor; Ken Paxton, Republican Texas Attorney General, U.S. Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic Texas House member, U.S. Senate candidate
Republicans have a massive financial advantage in Senate races for the 2026 midterm election, particularly in Texas where ad spending heavily favors the GOP nominee. Democrats lead in polling in several key Senate races despite the spending gap.
$$947 million for republican ad spending in seven tossup Senate races
Ken Paxton, Republican Texas Attorney General, U.S. Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic state representative, U.S. Senate candidate; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, mega-donor and 1 more
Wedgewood Polls admitted on Tuesday to fabricating polling data throughout the 2026 election cycle. The firm said the project was designed as a social experiment to expose vulnerabilities and lack of oversight in the polling industry.
Wedgewood Polls, polling firm that fabricated data; Mallory McMorrow, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate affected by fake poll; FiftyPlusOne, polling aggregator that conducted investigation and 2 more
Harris County voters set a record for first-day early voting in a midterm election on Monday, Oct. 19. More than 104,600 in-person voters cast ballots, and 24,794 mail ballots were received, surpassing the previous 2018 midterm record of 63,188 first-day votes.
Harris County Elections Department, reported election results