Republican Ken Paxton has edged ahead of Democrat James Talarico in the latest poll of the Texas Senate race, as the contest enters its final days before voting ends.
The Quantus Insights survey put Mr Paxton on 48.7 per cent and Mr Talarico on 47.6 per cent, with 2.2 per cent undecided. The difference is well within the poll’s margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
The poll questioned 1,221 likely voters between 26 and 28 October. Republicans accounted for 46.7 per cent of respondents, compared with 39.4 per cent Democrats and 13.9 per cent independents.
The findings underline the volatility of a race that has repeatedly swung between a narrow lead for either candidate and a statistical tie. Mr Talarico leads among women, independents and Hispanic voters, while Mr Paxton is ahead among men, suburban voters and those in rural areas. ([fox26houston.com](https://www.fox26houston.com/news/paxton-slips-past-talarico-latest-poll-senate-race-enters-final-days))
Texas Senate race remains too close to call
Mr Paxton, Texas’s Republican attorney general, is challenging Mr Talarico, a Democratic state representative, for the seat held by Republican Senator John Cornyn. The contest is being closely watched nationally as Democrats seek to win a statewide office in Texas for the first time in decades.
Other recent surveys have shown a different picture. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll conducted in late September and early October put Mr Talarico ahead, while the organisation’s earlier August survey also found him leading Mr Paxton. The differing results reflect variations in samples, methodology, question wording and whether Libertarian candidate Ted Brown was included. ([texaspolitics.utexas.edu](https://texaspolitics.utexas.edu/blog/new-ut-texas-politics-project-poll-finds-talarico-leading-paxton-abbott-leading-hinojosa-continued-resistance-to-data-centers-2))
Turnout is already high, with more than 6.3 million Texans having voted early by Wednesday, according to an Associated Press analysis. That was about 50 per cent higher than at the same point in the 2022 midterm election, although early votes do not indicate which candidates voters supported. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/3f7d5c378b3d9bff5cde4604a55b9c9a))
Early voting ends at 7pm on Friday, 30 October. Election Day is Tuesday, 3 November, when polls will be open from 7am to 7pm local time. ([fox26houston.com](https://www.fox26houston.com/news/paxton-slips-past-talarico-latest-poll-senate-race-enters-final-days))
