The August 2026 University of Texas/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.
Respondents were asked, "If the 2026 U.S. senate election in Texas were held today, and the candidates were the Republican Ken Paxton, the Democrat James Talarico, and the Libertarian Ted Brown, who would you vote for, or haven’t you thought enough about it to have an opinion?"
Respondents were asked, "Please tell us whether you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, neither favorable nor unfavorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable opinion of each of the following: Ken Paxton."
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.
