James Talarico is leading in most polls for the Texas Senate race.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support4 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
The claim matches the extracted passage and is supported for the period around the August 10 posting. Late-October polling shows Talarico ahead in most surveys, though many leads fall within margins of error, and an August 25 poll says several summer polls also had him ahead.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… That's indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need the right hire fast? Then this is the job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. The people of the great nation of Texas have not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988, but this year that might change. James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, school teacher, self-confessed cringe progressive i was doing it maybe in an annoying way he's leading in most polls. His opponent, Republican Attorney General Ken Patton, is facing two headwinds: the price of gas and everything. Also, Patton has done some very, very bad stuff. …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Newsweek reports that Talarico led Paxton in five of six public polls released in the week before the election, with the sixth showing a tie.[2]
Supports. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll published August 25 showed Talarico ahead, and its director said several other polls throughout the summer also found Talarico ahead by a similar margin.[3]
Context. Several individual polls show a statistical tie or narrow margins, including a UMass Lowell/YouGov poll at 45% each and an Emerson poll at 48% to 46%, so the leads are not uniform or decisive.[1][4][5][6]
Context. The August 10 posting date falls before the cited poll releases, so no source directly measures poll standings on that day; the evidence is directional for the summer period.[2][3]
Sources
6 sources: 1 primary, 4 not rated, 1 tier 1
- 1Texas poll: Paxton, Talarico tied in U.S. Senate race | Newsuml.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 2James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton—What Texas polls show ...newsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3James Talarico continues to edge out Ken Paxton in Texas’ U.S. Senate race, new poll finds | Houston Public Mediahoustonpublicmedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 4Talarico, Paxton in dead heat for Texas Senate, Abbott leads governor’s race: Pollthehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: context
- 5Economy remains top issue as Talarico, Paxton remain locked in tight racefox26houston.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 62 polls disagree on how close Texas US Senate race really isdesmoinesregister.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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