Polygraph

A Fox News poll shows a split of support for James Talarico and Ken Paxton in Texas.

Posted by The Fox News Rundown, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
4 support3 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
90%
The Fox News RundownOct 23, 2026
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37 claimsThe check →

The claim matches the passage faithfully: a Fox News poll released October 21, 2026 found Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton tied at 49% each among likely Texas voters, a down-the-middle split. That was already published before the October 23 posting, so the claim was true on that date, and no later development changes it.

Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… So I think those are going to be the really critical quick decisions that have to be made. What happens to these ballots? Are they segregated while the rest of the fight plays out? We got new Texas poll numbers. Shannon, Fox News finds a down-the-middle split of support for James Talarico and Ken Paxton. It even split, but dive into these numbers with me, because when asked who do you want to control the Senate, 51% said Republican, 47% said Democrat. So the GOP is up by four points there. …
The Fox News Rundown · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Fox News released its poll on Oct. 21, 2026, showing Talarico and Paxton tied at 49% each among likely Texas voters in the Senate race.[1][4]

Supports. Multiple outlets reporting the Fox News poll independently describe the same tie at 49% each, including USA Today and the Dispatch.[2][3]

Context. Other October polls (Emerson, Hobby School, Texas Southern University, Cook) showed small leads for one candidate or the other, but none contradicts what the Fox News poll reported.[5][6][7]

Sources

7 sources: 6 not rated, 1 rated low

  1. 1New poll shows deadlocked Texas Senate race as early voting continuesrmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  2. 22 polls disagree on how close Texas US Senate race really isusatoday.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  3. 3New poll shows deadlocked Texas Senate race as early voting continuesdispatch.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  4. 4Fox News poll finds Talarico, Paxton tied at 49% in Texas ...foxnews.com · rated low for factual reporting by Iffy.news · cited for: supports
  5. 5Economy remains top issue as Talarico, Paxton remain locked in tight racefox26houston.com · not rated · cited for: context
  6. 6Talarico, Paxton in dead heat for Texas Senate race, poll ...fox4news.com · not rated · cited for: context
  7. 7New Texas Senate poll shows challenge for GOP in final ...kentucky.com · not rated · cited for: context

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Said in 1 published post

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