With less than a week until Election Day on November 5, gubernatorial candidates Greg Abbott (Republican) and Gina Hinojosa (Democrat) are campaigning on different affordability plans. Senate candidates Ken Paxton (Republican) and James Talarico (Democrat) are also making final pitches to voters, with the race described as one of the most closely watched and costliest Senate races in history.
Where
Texas (statewide); Bexar County, Corpus Christi, University of Texas at Austin mentioned
Abbott's affordability plan includes eliminating school property taxes for homeowners and imposing spending limits on local governments to prevent tax increases. Hinojosa proposes taking funds from the state's rainy-day fund to provide household refunds.
Annual reduction in cost of living per family from Abbott's affordability plan$4,0001Who pays or receives it: State
Refund from Hinojosa's plan to Texas households$1,5001Who pays or receives it: State
Coming up
Thursday, November 5, 2026. Texas gubernatorial and Senate elections12
James TalaricoDemocrat Senate candidate, state representative
Austin BussingTrinity University Professor of Political Science
Matthew WilsonPolitical science professor
Donald TrumpPresident
The facts
Abbott proposed a five-point plan to eliminate property taxes, lower appraisal district caps on home value increases, and pass a constitutional amendment to eliminate school taxes.1
Hinojosa proposed canceling vendor contracts and providing $1,500 refunds funded from the state's rainy-day fund.1
Abbott paused issuing data center permits pending an audit of utility impacts.1
Hinojosa called for a moratorium on new data center approvals.1
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.
Texas voters cast ballots in 2026 midterm elections including a U.S. Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, U.S. House races in redrawn districts, a gubernatorial race, state and local offices, and judges. The Senate race is described as hotly contested and Democrats' best chance in decades to win that seat.
James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Texas Attorney General; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate for Texas governor and 3 more
Gov. Greg Abbott held a campaign rally in El Paso on Thursday and issued a state disaster declaration for El Paso County after flash flooding damaged or washed away more than 50 homes.
Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic challenger
Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is running to unseat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Tuesday's election. If she wins, she would likely face a Republican-controlled Legislature, unlike Abbott's unified government. The last divided state government in Texas occurred in 1995. Hinojosa has stated plans for executive actions on day one, including suspending gas and diesel taxes and freezing electricity rates.
Gina Hinojosa, Democratic state Rep., gubernatorial candidate; Greg Abbott, Republican governor, seeking reelection; Vikki Goodwin, Democratic state Rep., candidate for lieutenant governor and 3 more
As Texas voters prepare for a November 3 midterm election, polls show Democratic state representative James Talarico narrowly ahead of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race, while Democratic state representative Gina Hinojosa trails Republican Governor Greg Abbott in the governor's race. Republicans have spent more than $300 million on ads for Paxton compared to $102 million spent for Talarico.
$over $300 million for ad spending for Paxton
James Talarico, Democratic state representative and candidate for U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General and candidate for U.S. Senate; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic state representative and candidate for governor and 4 more
Elon Musk has contributed more than $445 million to federal committees through mid-October 2026, making him the largest disclosed individual donor in modern American politics. His spending has heavily targeted Texas races, including the Senate contest between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton.
$more than $445 million for campaign contributions to federal committees
Elon Musk, Political donor; James Talarico, Democratic candidate for Texas Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for Texas Senate and 3 more
East Texas counties and Nueces County are seeing high early voting turnout ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm election. Several counties have already matched or exceeded their 2022 midterm early voting totals with days remaining.
Smith County voters, Early voters in 2026; Gregg County voters, Early voters in 2026; Nueces County voters, Early voters in 2026
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James 'Jimmy' Blacklock, Texas Supreme Court justice incumbent, appointed 2018, named chief justice in 2025; James Sullivan, Texas Supreme Court justice incumbent, appointed 2025; Kyle Hawkins, Texas Supreme Court justice incumbent, appointed 2025 and 5 more
Voters in League City will decide on Tuesday whether the police department should continue using 55 Flock surveillance cameras. The nonbinding Proposition A asks about keeping cameras that collect vehicle data including license plates, make, model, and color. The City Council pledged to remove the cameras within 72 hours if voters reject them.
League City Mayor Nick Long, Mayor who introduced the resolution to place question before voters; League City City Council, Approved resolutions on Flock cameras; League City Police Department, Uses the Flock cameras