Blogs: 2026 election

Check back for updates on all non-partisan polling of the U.S. Senate race race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state representative James Talarico.

James Henson and Joshua Blank return from a July podcasting hiatus to catch up on Texas polling in the Senate and gubernatorial races, and consider the influences on the election environment in Texas.

Check back for updates on all non-partisan polling of the Gubernatorial race race between incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and Democratic state representative Gina Hinojosa.

In a new Second Reading podcast, James Henson and Joshua Blank look at Texas public opinion related to some of the big Supreme Court decisions this week, and have a ranging discussion about signs of the emergence of stronger, if more polarized political parties. They also touch on news of Kelly Hancock's imminent departure as Acting Comptroller and the politics of the governor's appointment of the Republican candidate for the office, former state senator Don Huffines.

As the Texas Democratic Party holds their state convention in Corpus Christi this weekend, review public opinion data from the Texas Politics Project polling archive to provide some context for the gathering.

The latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll finds a very tight race in the election for the U.S. Senate, Texas voters largely opposed to building data centers in their communities, and continuing concern about prices and the economy.

James Henson and Joshua Blank look at 2026 Texas trial ballots and the strikingly negative views of data centers and AI in the June Texas Politics Project Poll.

How similar is the 2026 election environment in Texas to 2018, the last statewide election in which Democrats were able to gain meaningful ground on Texas Republicans’ control of the Texas Legislature, and came within striking distance of winning some statewide races? The Texas Politics Project's deep archive of public opinion data allows us to make useful comparisons of public attitudes toward candidates and conditions in 2018 and 2026.

After a week in which Texas Republicans circled the wagons for legislative elections and national Democrats announced #txlege targets, James Henson and Joshua Blank look at the landscape for legislative races, and compare differences and similarities in public opinion in 2018 and 2026.

In the wake of run-off wins by GOP candidates like Ken Paxton, Mayes Middleton, and Bo French, James Henson and Joshua Blank talk about dynamics in both parties, and what’s comes next in the general election and in governing circles in Texas.