Ken Paxton and James Talarico are the two candidates in the election.
Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Michael Berry ShowSep 15, 2026
PM Show Hr 1 | At This Point You are Either for Paxton or Talarico
Multiple reliable sources published in late October and early November 2026 (AP, Reuters, PBS, CBS) identify Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico as the two candidates facing off in the U.S. Senate race in Texas.
This claim is in the show notes, the publisher's own words. It counts against the post, once.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What we found
Supports. The AP's Election Day preview states that 'facing off in the race for Senate are Democratic state Rep. James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton.'[1]
Supports. Reuters reports that Democrat James Talarico is narrowly ahead of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in polls for the Senate seat.[2]
Supports. PBS NewsHour describes Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico as the candidates making closing arguments in the Texas Senate race.[3]
Supports. CBS News reports that Paxton and Talarico are running for U.S. Senate in Texas, and a Texas Tribune article calls them the Republican and Democratic nominees for the seat.[4][5]
Context. Other races on the same ballot, including governor (Abbott vs. Hinojosa), mean 'the election' is narrower than the full Texas ballot; the claim is accurate only when read as the Senate race.[2]
Context. The sources are dated October and November 2026, after the post date of 2026-09-15. Paxton's primary win over Sen. John Cornyn happened in March, before the post, so the nominees were already set on the claim date.[3][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Texas on Election Dayapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Democrats have long known heartbreak in Texas. Could this finally be their year?reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3Paxton and Talarico tussle for Texas Senate seat as Trump ...pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 4The issue that could tip the scales in the Texas Senate racecbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Paxton vs. Talarico: Five things to watch in Texas’ tight U.S. Senate race | Houston Public Mediahoustonpublicmedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Attorney General Ken Paxton, Rep. James Talarico face off in ...ksat.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- James Talarico is a candidate for the Texas Senate in 2026.True
- Ken Paxton is the Republican U.S. Senate nominee for Texas.True
- A Fox News poll shows a split of support for James Talarico and Ken Paxton in Texas.True
- James Talarico is leading in most polls for the Texas Senate race.True
- James Talarico is leading Kent Hance by three points in a recent poll.Can’t tell