Talarico and Trump Rally in Lubbock a Week Before Texas Senate Vote

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and President Donald Trump held rival rallies in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, a week before Election Day, in a contest that NBC News described as the biggest threat in years to Republican control of the state. Talarico has held a narrow lead in polling, according to NBC.

The race has drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in spending. Republicans have controlled the statewide seat for three decades, and Democrats at the Talarico event urged supporters to take what they called a once-in-a-generation chance to flip it, NBC reported.

Two rallies, less than 3 miles apart

NBC News reported that Trump's visit was the first by a sitting president to Lubbock in 34 years. Even so, people waited for hours in lines stretching for blocks to see Talarico, in a city of fewer than 300,000 that is reliably Republican. More than 4,000 people signed up for his evening event, according to his campaign.

Trump held his rally less than 3 miles away at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center to boost Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, the state attorney general. In a new move, Trump brought out Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who NBC said drew one of the biggest rounds of applause of the night. Rubio had avoided midterm rallies until Tuesday and kept his remarks brief, saying the country is stronger and safer because of Trump.

What Talarico and his supporters say

Talarico criticized the economy, high gas prices and the closure of rural hospitals. He repeatedly portrayed Paxton as corrupt and as overly loyal to Trump, and he said the state's affordability problems stem from a corruption problem.

He also pointed to Elon Musk, who has significant business interests in Texas and has put more than $150 million into Paxton's candidacy. Talarico said Musk is trying to buy his own personal senator. “We are running against the most corrupt politician in Texas,” he told the crowd.

Voters in line voiced their own complaints. One of them, 66-year-old emergency room physician Tim Jones, told NBC that people are upset about fuel prices and inflation and are finally deciding to vote.

What Trump and Paxton say

Trump described Talarico as an extremist who opposes gun rights and is out of touch with ordinary Texans, and he used a derisive nickname for him. The president also referred to Talarico's absence from the campaign trail earlier this month, when Talarico said he had the flu, and offered his own unflattering explanations for it. He said he and Paxton are the only ones standing in Talarico's way.

Talarico responded by embracing the nickname, telling his crowd he had never seen so many people who fit it in one room, NBC reported.

Paxton praised Trump from the stage and said he had spent the day with him, beginning with a stop in Corpus Christi. According to Paxton, Trump told him he does not normally hold two rallies for any candidate. Trump has visited Texas three times this month and held a pair of rallies on Tuesday.

What's at stake for Texas and the Republican Party

If Talarico wins, it would end three decades of Republican control of that seat. His appearance in Lubbock is a sign he is trying to win Republican crossover votes, which he needs to prevail, according to NBC.

Republican strategists told NBC they see the contest as a real fight at a time when Americans feel anger and dissatisfaction toward Washington. Paxton has faced personal scandals that have dragged on his numbers, NBC reported, and Texas Republicans remain divided after a bitter primary in which Trump endorsed Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn, who had the backing of much of the party establishment.

With a week left, both campaigns are making their final appeals in a state where Republicans have far outnumbered Democrats, and the outcome will decide who represents Texas in the Senate.

Around Prague, based on reporting by NBC News