New polling shows Republicans leading in several key statewide races with just a few weeks to go before voters head to the polls for the midterm elections.
By the numbers:
Texas Public Opinion Research conducted the poll between Aug. 21 and Aug. 24. It surveyed 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%. While the group describes itself as nonpartisan, it is run by Luke Warford, a Democrat who ran for the Texas Railroad Commission in 2022.
While the poll found Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico leading his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, by six points, other Democrats in statewide races did not far as well.
Abbott leads in race for governor
Dig deeper:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is leading Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa by seven points, 49% to 42%, according to the poll.
Hinojosa leads among independent voters (43% to 37%), Black voters (75% to 12%) and Latino voters (53% to 35%).
Abbott leads among white voters, and male voters. The two are tied among women voters.
Voters were split on how they felt Abbott was performing as governor, with 48% saying they approved and 48% saying they disapproved. Nearly half of those polled said they viewed Abbott favorably (49%) with 45% viewing the governor unfavorably.
Hinojosa, on the other hand, was viewed favorably by just 39% of those polled, with 27% saying they viewed her unfavorably. Thirty-five percent said they had no opinion of the challenger.
Patrick has 6-point lead over Goodwin for lieutenant governor
In the race for lieutenant governor, incumbent Republican Dan Patrick holds a 47% to 41% lead over Democrat Vikki Goodwin.
Libertarian candidate Anthony Cristo and independent Jeffrey Marshall both pulled 1% of the vote, while 8% of voters are undecided in the race.
Middleton and Johnson separated by just 3 points
The race for attorney general is separated by just three points, according to the poll, with Republican Mayes Middleton ahead of Democrat Nathan Johnson, 44% to 41%.
Ten percent of voters remain undecided in the race.
Race for comptroller remains close
Republican Don Huffines and Democrat Sarah Eckhardt are locked in a statistical tie when factoring in the margin of error of the poll.
Huffines had the support of 43% of those polled, while Eckhardt had 41% support. Eleven percent said they were undecided.
Races for railroad commissioner, agriculture commissioner and land commissioner lean Republican
TPOR also polled voters on the races for land commissioner, railroad commissioner and agriculture commissioner. All races leaned Republican, but were close:
- Railroad Commissioner: Bo French (R) 45% leads Jon Rosenthal (D) 41%
- Agriculture Commissioner: Nate Sheets (R) 44% leads Clayton Tucker (D) 40%
- Land Commissioner: Dawn Buckingham (R) 44% leads Benjamin Flores (D) 40%
Texans concerned about affordability and cost of living
TPOR asked those polled to choose the two issues they believe are most important for elected officials to prioritize.
Half of those chose affordability and cost of living as either their first choice (30%) or second choice (20%). Health care access and costs were second with 23% of voters listing it as their first or second choice. Economic growth and job creation was third.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a Texas Public Opinion Research poll conducted between Aug. 21 and Aug. 24. It surveyed 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%.