Talarico, Paxton in dead heat in latest Texas Senate poll
Democrat James Talarico (left) and Republican Ken Paxton (right) are vying for the U.S. Senate in Texas. (FOX Local)
The latest polling in Texas' pivotal U.S. Senate race shows a dead heat between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton.
Dead heat in the U.S. Senate race
By the numbers:
The September Emerson College poll shows a one-point lead for Talarico over Paxton, 47% to 46%. Libertarian candidate Ted Brown had the support of 2% of those polled and 4% were undecided.
The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters from Sept. 12–14 and has a margin of error of +/- 3%.
Big picture view:
The Emerson poll is one of the closest polls released recently. Recent polls from AARP Texas and Univison have given Talarico a lead of 4% and 5% respectively. An Emerson poll from August showed Paxton with a 1% lead.
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Polls have shown the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Texas is in a dead heat.
Did the Republican midterm convention excite voters?
Dig deeper:
A majority of both major parties said the Republican midterm convention made them excited to vote in November.
Among Republicans, 59% said they were more excited to vote after the convention, while 39% said it had no impact and 2% were now less excited to vote.
On the Democratic side, 53% said the GOP convention made them more excited to vote, while 45% said it had no impact and 2% said they were less excited to vote in November.
Notably, 68% of independent voters said the event made no impact on their excitement to vote, while 28% said it made them more excited and 3% said it made them less excited to vote in November.
Democrats and Republicans agree on Texas' top issue
What they're saying:
Democrats and Republicans agree on what they feel is the biggest issue facing the Lone Star State ahead of the midterm elections: the economy.
Of those surveyed, 38% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats said the economy was the top issue facing the state. Thirty percent of independent voters also cited the economy as the state's top issue.
Immigration (14%), education (12%), healthcare (11%) and threats to democracy (11%) were the other top issues for voters.
Hinojosa's support increases, still trails Abbott
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa's support among Texans increased one point, from 45% to 46% since the August Emerson poll. Her incumbent opponent, Gov. Greg Abbott's support remained steady at 49%. Libertarian Pat Dixon garnered 2% of voters' support, while 4% remain undecided.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a September poll released by Emerson College asking Texas voters about the U.S. Senate and governor races in the state.