Texas’s 2026 midterm election is entering its final hours with candidates criss-crossing the state in a last-ditch effort to mobilise voters in two unusually close statewide contests.
San Antonio was a key stop on Sunday as Republican Governor Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa made their closing appeals, while the Senate hopefuls James Talarico and Ken Paxton intensified their own campaigns ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
Texas governor race remains tightly contested
A Texas Southern University survey gives Mr Abbott a narrow lead, with the incumbent Republican on 50 per cent compared with 47 per cent for Ms Hinojosa. Libertarian candidate Pat Dixon was backed by 2 per cent of respondents.
Ms Hinojosa used her appearance in San Antonio to place education at the centre of her campaign, describing public schools as essential to local economies and protected by the Texas constitution.
“So many of us are proud products of Texas public schools, I know I am, and they are worth fighting for,” she said, accusing Mr Abbott of having damaged the state’s education system.
Mr Abbott’s closing message has focused on tax cuts, border security and social issues. He attacked Ms Hinojosa’s legislative record, accusing her of supporting tax increases, sanctuary-city policies and the defunding of police.
The governor, who is seeking another term, faces a more competitive challenge than expected. Polling tracked by the University of Texas shows the race has tightened significantly in the final weeks, with several surveys placing the candidates within a few points of one another. ([texaspolitics.utexas.edu](https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/texas-2026-gubernatorial-poll-tracker))
James Talarico and Ken Paxton battle for Senate seat
The Senate contest has drawn even greater national attention. The Texas Southern University survey puts Democrat James Talarico on 49 per cent and Republican Ken Paxton on 47 per cent, with Libertarian Ted Brown on 3 per cent.
Mr Talarico told supporters in San Antonio that more than $300 million had already been spent by outside groups trying to defeat him, calling the race the most expensive Senate contest in American history.
Independent spending has made the campaign one of the costliest in the country. The Associated Press reported that total advertising expenditure had risen to just under $340 million, while Mr Talarico had raised substantially more directly than Mr Paxton, whose campaign has benefited from large-scale spending by Republican-aligned political action committees. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/04e87ff214dc580d4dc6751644fdc467))
Mr Paxton has presented the election as a decisive national battle, telling supporters in Georgetown: “This isn’t just red versus blue; it’s the America our founders gave us versus something that they would never recognize.”
He added: “I am not exaggerating when I say we lose Texas, we lose America. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
The race has become a major test of Republican dominance in Texas. Democrats have not won a US Senate election in the state since 1988, although recent polling has suggested that Mr Talarico has a credible chance of breaking that run. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/04e87ff214dc580d4dc6751644fdc467))
Both campaigns have ended with the same warning to supporters: turnout will decide the result. Polling stations across Texas are due to open from 7am to 7pm local time on Tuesday.
