John Cornyn and Ken Paxton (Getty Images)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a slight lead over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the upcoming May 26 runoff elections, according to the latest polling from the University of Houston.
The poll, conducted by the University of Houston's School of Public Affairs, surveyed 1,300 likely Republican voters from across the state. In the poll, 48% said they would vote for Paxton, while 45% broke for Cornyn.
Polls between the pair have been close throughout election season. In March, coefficient.org showed Cornyn with a single-point lead over Paxton.
Both candidates were found to be trailing hypothetical head-to-heads against Democratic nominee James Talarico last month, with Cornyn's gap slightly smaller than Paxton's.
The latest polling has voters split on who is the better opponent for Talarico, with 43% of respondents saying Paxton and 43% saying Cornyn, while 14% said neither is a stronger candidate than the other in November.
What matters most to supporters of Paxton and Cornyn
Supporters of the two republicans are split on the issues that matter to them the most.
Paxton voters said immigration and election integrity are the most important issues, while Cornyn supporters cited cost of living and the economy as the most pressing issues.
Those polled were also split by education level in their support, with a majority of voters with a four-year college degree voicing their support for Cornyn, while a majority of those without a four-year college degree supported Paxton.
While both candidates will try to win over those who voted for Rep. Wesley Hunt in March, it's Paxton who is drawing a majority of those voters in, with 54% saying they've moved over to the Paxton camp and 35% moving over to Cornyn.
Other GOP runoff races
The UH poll also looked at two other Republican races that will be decided in runoff elections.
In the race for the Republican nomination in the state attorney general race, state Sen. Mayes Middleton held a nine percentage point lead over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, 48% to 39%. Thirteen percent of those polled said they were still unsure about the race.
The railroad commissioner race is another Republican race going to a runoff.
Voters remain more undecided in that race, with 35% supporting incumbent Jim Wright and 28% supporting Bo French. The remaining 37% of voters said they were unsure who they would support.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a poll by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs of 1,200 likely Republican runoff voters conducted between April 28 and May 1 with a margin of error of +/- 2.83%.