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● InformationalElections / Campaigns

Talarico leads both Cornyn, Paxton in new poll of Texas' U.S. Senate race

Two polls put Talarico ahead of both Republican contenders in hypothetical general-election matchups.

Talarico leads both Cornyn, Paxton in new poll of Texas' U.S. Senate race
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Outlet credibilityHouston Public Media79/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 7, 2026

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Texas Tribune79/100 HIGH

65 stories · 79–80 · updated Oct 9, 2026

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Houston Public Mediacites Texas Tribune
Apr 28, 2026
tl;dr

Two new polls show James Talarico leading John Cornyn and Ken Paxton in hypothetical Texas Senate matchups, though neither poll puts him above 50% and the margins are within the polls’ stated margins of error.

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This story reports what happened without casting Talarico in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Talarico’s record.

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Democratic candidate in the Texas U.S. Senate race

PRIMARY SUBJECT
John Cornyn
R · TX · SEN

Republican senator and candidate in the Texas U.S. Senate race

Cornyn's version of this story ↗
Ken Paxton
R · TX

Texas attorney general and Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race

Paxton's version of this story ↗
Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President of the United States

Chip Roy
R · TX-21

U.S. representative from Texas and Republican candidate for attorney general

Ted Cruz
R · TX · SEN

U.S. senator from Texas

Beto O'Rourke
Former U.S. Representative (D-TX)

Former Texas Democratic Senate candidate

ALSO MENTIONED  Dan Patrick, Texas lieutenant governor and Republican candidate for reelection; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee for Texas governor and state representative; Greg Abbott, Republican governor of Texas; Joe Jaworski, Former Galveston mayor and Democratic candidate for attorney general; Marcos Vélez, Union leader and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor; Mayes Middleton, Texas state senator and Republican candidate for attorney general; Nathan Johnson, Texas state senator and Democratic candidate for attorney general; Vikki Goodwin, Texas state representative and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor

Part of a bigger story

9 OUTLETS
Poll Shows James Talarico Leading Cornyn and Paxton in Texas Senate Race

A Texas poll found James Talarico ahead of John Cornyn and Ken Paxton in hypothetical U.S. Senate matchups. Reports also note the leads were within the poll’s margin of error. Left-leaning outlets describe the leads as narrow and within the margin of error. Center outlets report the results descriptively, with some adding margin-of-error caveats or runoff context. Right-leaning outlets question the poll’s reliability, while Fox News instead focuses on calls for Talarico to condemn his pastor’s sermon.

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