Talarico Edges Paxton 45-40 in Texas Senate Poll, Biggest Gap of Campaign

Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 45% to 40% in a Texas Public Opinion Research poll of the U.S. Senate race, marking his largest advantage in the general-election period. The survey of 1,048 likely voters (July 15–17) shows Talarico ahead among independents and non-college-educated voters, while Paxton remains relatively stronger with white voters and GOP loyalists; the margin of error is ±3.4 percentage points, underscoring a still-close contest with many voters undecided as early voting approaches.