Texas poll: Talarico leads Paxton 49%-47% in Senate race; Abbott ahead of Hinojosa 50%-47% for governor

Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton by 49% to 47% in the race for a US Senate seat from Texas, according to a poll released on Thursday 29 October by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University. The centre said the Senate race is within the margin of error.

The survey of 2,000 likely Texas voters was carried out from 21 to 25 October and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.19 percentage points, USA TODAY reported.

In the governor’s race, Republican Governor Greg Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by 50% to 47%. Abbott won re-election in 2022 by 11 points, according to USA TODAY. The poll found 48% of likely voters view Abbott favourably and 51% unfavourably, while 45% view Hinojosa favourably and 49% unfavourably.

Republican candidates lead the six other statewide races by 1 to 6 points, the centre said, adding that many of those candidates are still unknown to most voters. They include Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, at 49% against Democrat Vikki Goodwin’s 45%, and the attorney general race, where Republican Mayes Middleton has 49% and Democrat Nathan Johnson 45%.

Few voters plan to split their ticket, according to the poll: 95% of Abbott voters said they intend to vote for Paxton, and 99% of Hinojosa voters for Talarico.

The BBC reported that Texas has emerged as a key battleground that could decide which party controls the Senate. Election Day is Tuesday 3 November.