Overview
- Early voting, which began Oct. 19, has produced roughly 3 million ballots so far with counties such as Dallas, Harris and Bexar reporting record first-day turnout.
- Recent polls show the contest essentially tied, making late turnout and small persuasion shifts potentially decisive for the statewide result.
- James Talarico is running on affordability and anti-corruption themes while targeting college campuses, Black voters and some Latino voters to expand Democratic turnout.
- Ken Paxton is pressing Republican turnout and outreach to Latino voters with a platform of tax deductions and economic proposals that he says will ease costs for Texans.
- Outside spending has poured into the race, driven by large transfers into GOP super PACs including a reported $190 million linked to Elon Musk, raising stakes and fueling ads across the state.