Tuesday, October 20, 2026

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UH poll shows Talarico leading Paxton by 22 points in Harris County

A University of Houston poll of 2,750 Harris County likely voters shows state Rep. James Talarico leading Attorney General Ken Paxton 58% to 36% in the U.S. Senate race, with Gov. Abbott trailing state Rep. Gina Hinojosa by 16 points in the gubernatorial race.

Where
Harris County
When
Oct. 13, 2026
Sources
Reported by 6 outlets

Counties: Harris

Taxes and money

72 percent of respondents disapprove of Harris County commissioners' vote to approve the highest property tax rate in decades.

Does this affect you?

Who's involved

  • James TalaricoState representative, candidate in U.S. Senate race
  • Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General, candidate in U.S. Senate race
  • Greg AbbottGovernor, candidate for re-election
  • Gina HinojosaState representative, candidate for governor
  • University of Houston Hobby School of Public AffairsConducted poll
  • Mark JonesProfessor and poll director
  • Letitia PlummerDemocratic nominee for Harris County Judge
  • Orlando SanchezRepublican nominee for Harris County Judge
  • Ted BrownLibertarian candidate in U.S. Senate race
  • Adrian GarciaHarris County Commissioner, Precinct 2
  • Lesley BrionesHarris County Commissioner, Precinct 4
  • Richard VegaRepublican challenger to Commissioner Garcia

The facts

  • Survey of 2,750 Harris County likely voters found 58% plan to vote for Talarico, 36% for Paxton, 2% for Libertarian Brown, 4% unsure in Senate race.2
  • 97% of Democrats polled said they would vote for Talarico; 85% of Republicans said they plan to vote for Paxton.2
  • Talarico led Paxton among Independent voters 64% to 20%, with 8% for Brown and 8% unsure.2
  • Gov. Abbott trailed state Rep. Gina Hinojosa by 16 percentage points in gubernatorial race.2
  • In Harris County Judge race, Democrat Letitia Plummer leads Republican Orlando Sanchez 47% to 40%, with 13% unsure.2
  • Top three voter issues in poll: crime and public safety 47%, property taxes 36%, voting rights 26%.2
  • 71% of respondents said Harris County was headed in the wrong direction; 72% disapprove of commissioners' property tax rate vote.2
  • Only 2% and 3% of Harris County likely voters did not know enough about Paxton and Talarico to have an opinion.2

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • Mark Jones, UH poll director If extrapolated to statewide level, Talarico ahead by one to three points, Abbott ahead by three to five points.2
  • Mark Jones Harris County trends match Fort Bend County survey results published previously.2
  • Mark Jones Half of likely voters don't know much about Plummer or Sanchez, suggesting more room for movement in judge race.2
  • Mark Jones Neither Plummer nor Sanchez have money needed to move needle significantly in five million population county.2

How they headlined it

The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.

Sources

Outlets: 2 not rated Who's covering Texas →

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.

  1. Leading Harris County: The Candidate Debate FOX 26 Houston Not rated, October 13, 2026
  2. UH Poll: Talarico Leads Paxton by 22 Points in Harris County The Texan Not rated, October 13, 2026

Also reported by Houston Public Media, Texas Public Radio | TPR, FloWrestling, SuaraGarut.ID, El Paso Times, AOL.com.

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

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