Dr. Ivan Melendez, Hidalgo County health authority, voted for Trump in 2024 but says he is disappointed by cuts to federal health programs. As Election Day approaches, he remains undecided whether to support Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico or Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Ken PaxtonRepublican Attorney General, U.S. Senate candidate
The facts
Hidalgo County voted for Trump in 2024, the first time in over 50 years the predominantly Hispanic county backed a Republican presidential nominee.1
About 110,000 Hidalgo County voters voted for Trump in 2024.1
Trump won 14 out of 18 border counties in 2024, double the four counties he won in 2020.1
Early voting participation in the Rio Grande Valley is matching 2024 presidential election levels.1
Exit polls showed 55% of Texas Latinos supported Trump in 2024.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Dr. Ivan Melendez He voted for Trump primarily because he viewed Trump as expediting the COVID-19 vaccine in early 2020.1
Dr. Ivan Melendez He is completely disappointed by Trump because of cuts to federal programs that gutted health departments and made insurance coverage harder to obtain.1
Dr. Ivan Melendez He can do less on healthcare access now than before Trump became president.1
UnidosUS (nonpartisan Latino civil rights group) About a quarter of Hispanic voters who picked Trump say they would not vote for him again if they could do it over.1
Dr. Ivan Melendez He supports Talarico's healthcare policies but supports Paxton on fiscal issues.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.
Black women and other Black Texans told outlets they are focused on job availability, affordability, education funding, voting access, and maternal health ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Young Black women reported concerns about postgraduate employment prospects.
Leila Kuguru, senior political science major at Clark Atlanta University and chair of CAU Votes; Kaylin McGlothen, community engagement director at the Texas Democratic Party; Kendall Scudder, Texas Democratic Party Chair and 2 more
U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico held a rally in Houston on October 21 with over 200 IAM Union and Texas AFL-CIO members, joined by national labor leaders including IAM International President Brian Bryant and AFL-CIO International President Liz Shuler.
James Talarico, U.S. Senate candidate; Brian Bryant, IAM Union International President; Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO International President and 6 more
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton canceled his scheduled campaign stop in Tyler on Thursday and instead appeared with Vice President J.D. Vance in Weatherford before a rally in Beaumont. Paxton also canceled morning rallies in El Paso and Texarkana.
Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, Texas Attorney General; J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States; David Stein, Chairman of the Smith County Republican Party and 1 more
Polls conducted in late October show Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race in Texas. A separate poll also shows Democrat Gina Hinojosa leading Republican Greg Abbott in the governor's race.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate nominee; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and 3 more
The 2026 race for Texas comptroller features a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Green Party candidate competing to oversee the state's $1 billion school voucher fund (TEFA). Republican Don Huffines, the current comptroller, supports doubling the fund's budget for the next biennium. Democrat Sarah Eckhardt opposes rapid expansion before evaluating program results.
$$1 billion for Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) current fund size
Don Huffines, Republican comptroller candidate and current comptroller; Sarah Eckhardt, Democratic state senator and comptroller candidate; Greg Abbott, Governor who appointed Huffines as comptroller and 3 more
Vice President JD Vance held a campaign rally in Weatherford, Texas on October 29, 2026, five days before the midterm election. Road closures were in effect in the area during the event.
JD Vance, Vice President, campaign speaker; Texas Republican Party, Event organizer; Weatherford police, Traffic and security management and 1 more
Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew announced she will not release early voting and mail-in ballot results until all voters in line have cast their ballots on election night, a departure from most Texas counties' practice of releasing those results shortly after polls close at 7 p.m.
Michele Carew, Bexar County Elections Administrator
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton held separate campaign rallies in Lubbock on the same night. Talarico also campaigned in Amarillo, where he discussed his legislative record and policy proposals. Some prominent Texas Republicans announced support for Talarico over Paxton.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican Attorney General and Senate candidate; President Donald Trump, Campaigned against Talarico at Lubbock rally and 5 more