Texas Senate Race: Talarico Campaigns Against Paxton Amid New Poll and Border Outreach

James Talarico, a Democrat, is running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas's U.S. Senate race, with the general election scheduled for November 2026. A Fox News poll released around July 31–August 1, 2026, found Talarico leading Paxton 51 percent to 48 percent among surveyed voters, a result described as notable given Republicans' recent dominance in Texas statewide races. Talarico has also been campaigning in South Texas border communities, an area where Hispanic voters shifted toward Republicans in recent election cycles, as reported by ABC News and the Associated Press around July 25, 2026. Paxton has faced a series of legal and political controversies over his multi-year tenure as attorney general, a history that PBS NewsHour reported forms part of the backdrop to the race and a key question for whether Talarico can capitalize on it. Talarico's border tour is aimed at rebuilding Democratic support among Hispanic voters in a region that swung toward the GOP in 2020 and 2024. Separately, Texas legislators held a hearing at the state Capitol on data center facilities on July 31, 2026, even though the legislature was not in session; the hearing occurred amid public backlash against such projects and ahead of the November election, according to CBS Texas. The race remains contested with several months until the general election, and the Fox News poll represents one snapshot rather than a confirmed outcome. It is unresolved how representative the poll is of the broader electorate or whether Talarico's border outreach is translating into sustained support among Hispanic voters. The connection between the data center hearing and the Senate race, if any, is not established by the reporting, and further campaign developments, additional polling, and the hearing's legislative outcomes remain to be seen.