Talarico, Hinojosa make final pushes to voters as polls show competitive Texas race

DALLAS - Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico rallied supporters in Dallas on Thursday as they both face tight races with the midterm election just days away. 

Recent polling shows Talarico holds a narrow lead over his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, in the U.S. Senate race. The Texas governor’s race also is expected to be extremely competitive, with Hinojosa currently polling slightly behind Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. 

A win for either candidate would be significant. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas in over three decades. 

Dallas among the final campaign stops 

What we know:

The Dallas stop was one of the candidates’ final pushes to get people to the polls. Hinojosa called it "bittersweet" after being on the campaign trail for a year. She and Talarico also emphasized the political impact this election could have for their party. 

"The stakes could not be higher in this fight," Hinojosa said. "If we choose to forge a new way forward together, then because we are Texas… the rest of the nation will follow."

Throughout the night, both candidates shared similar visions for the state, focusing on improving public education, helping families who are hurting financially and tackling corruption. 

"Over the past year, I have traveled to every corner of the state, from Beaumont to El Paso, from Amarillo to Brownsville, and everywhere I go, I meet Texans who are drowning," Talarico said. "We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis."

Candidates go after opponents' billionaire connections 

Dig deeper:

They took aim at their opponents over their connections with various billionaires and people like Elon Musk, who Talarico and Hinojosa both claim has tried to influence the election in Texas by pouring money into Republican campaigns. 

"In the final days of this election, they are coming at us with everything they've got," Talarico said. "The billionaire megadonors and their super PACs are spending more than $200 million to try to stop us." 

A report by The Texas Tribune earlier this month stated that campaign finance filings showed Elon Musk, who recently became a trillionaire, poured nearly $190 million into the U.S. Senate race. 

Hinojosa recently filed a lawsuit seeking access to communications between Abbott’s office and Musk. While a lower court briefly granted her access, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals later ruled the governor does not have to comply.    

"I think Greg Abbott's embarrassed that those emails are going to show he sold us out," Hinojosa said on Thursday. 

The governor’s office has previously called the litigation "a sham lawsuit in a rigged district court." 

Big picture view:

As the last person to take the stage, Talarico concluded the night by urging Texans to go out and vote on Nov. 3. 

"This is the last play of the last drive, Dallas. This is the moment we leave it all on the field. We are the underdogs," Talarico told the crowd.

The other side:

Paxton has also been holding several campaign events throughout the state in the final days before the election. He was in Beaumont on Thursday night as a part of his "Come and Take It" tour, and held two rallies alongside President Donald Trump earlier this week. 

Early voting ends on Friday, Oct. 30, and the midterm election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls close at 7 p.m.