The Texas Politics Project
Data Centers
57%Text Line of Texas voters say that they oppose the construction of a data center in their community (August 2026)
Iran
54%of Texas voters say that the U.S. should end the conflict in Iran now (August 2026)
Healthcare Costs
64%of Texas voters say that they are ‘extremely concerned’ about the cost of healthcare (August 2026)
Latest Analysis
New UT/Texas Politics Project poll finds Talarico Leading Paxton in U.S. Senate Race, Abbott maintaining lead over Hinojosa in gubernatorial race
The August 2026 UT/Texas Politics Project Poll finds 42% of Texas voters preferring Democrat James Talarico and 39% planning to vote for Republican Ken Paxton in the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott led Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa 45%-40%, as Texans continue to voice reservations about data centers and express intense concern about prices.
Second Reading: How Big a Problem is Rural Discontent with Data Centers for Texas Republicans?
In a new pod, James Henson and Joshua Blank look at public opinion data from rural Texas to assess how big a problem the state's Republican leaders have among rural voters after a summer of rural pushback on data centers, high capacity power lines, and economic concerns.
Texas 2026 U.S. Senate Election Polling Tracker
View non-partisan statewide polls conducted in the U.S. Senate race in Texas. Check back for updates as new polling is released.
Share of Texans Saying an Economic Issue is the Most Important Problem Facing the Country
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Donald Trump Second Term Job Approval Trend
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Events
May 28: PAAT Post Runoff Power Hour Video
On Thursday, May 28, 2026, James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, moderated a panel of Texas media observers – Gromer Jeffers, Jr. , of The Dallas Morning News, Brad Johnson of The Texas Bullpen, Mark Jones of Rice University, and Harvey Kronberg of Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report – to discuss the results and implications of the Texas runoff elections as party of the Professional Adovcacy Association of Texas's ongoing webinar series. View the session on the PAAT YouTube channel.
Internships
News Media
Trump keeps embracing data centers even as they become toxic in midterm races
The AP looks at the politics of data centers across the U.S. and the politics of the White House's response.
'We are not a bunch of woke Marxist liberals here': Rural voters scramble Texas election
Politico's Shelby Webb looks at rural pushback on data centers and the possible impact on the 2026 election.
Austin-area residents are pushing for data center bans. State leaders are divided on what to do next
Texas Public Radio explores resistance to data centers in Austin.
TribCast: Should we believe the polls about Paxton and Talarico?
James Henson joins Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Matthew Watkins to talk about polling in Texas and responses to signs of party competition in the 2026 election in the state.
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