Texas Senate Race Is a Tossup as Paxton and Talarico Make Their Final Pitches

Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico made closing arguments Saturday in a tossup U.S. Senate race in Texas, a contest that ABC News said has become a key measure of voter frustration with President Donald Trump’s leadership and his loyalists in the Republican Party.

Texas was not expected to be an epicenter of the midterms, ABC reported. With early voting nearing its end in several states, the race has become one of the contests that could shape the rest of Trump’s second term.

The numbers behind the Senate fight

• 53-47: Republicans’ current advantage in the Senate, according to ABC News.
• Four: The minimum number of seats Democrats need to pick up to win a Senate majority.
• Nearly 50 million: Early ballots cast heading into the weekend, per ABC. About 112 million people voted in total in the 2022 midterms.
• More than $150 million: What Elon Musk, described as the world’s richest man, has spent of his own money to help Paxton keep pace with Talarico’s fundraising.
• Six: The number of tele-rallies Trump was scheduled to join Saturday, after a break from in-person rallies.

What each candidate argued

Speaking to voters in Houston, Talarico went after Paxton, the longtime state attorney general who has weathered an indictment and impeachment and has Trump’s endorsement. He described Paxton as an especially corrupt example of a broken political system, and he framed the choice as one between a senator who helps voters financially and one who helps himself.

Paxton responded in Fort Worth by portraying Talarico, a state lawmaker, seminarian and former teacher, as too liberal for Texas. He said the left keeps getting more radical and argued Talarico would be a loyal follower of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who would set the Senate’s agenda if Democrats win a majority.

Talarico pointed to Musk’s spending, calling the race a David-versus-Goliath contest and saying Texans are his slingshot, ABC reported.

Trump turns to the phone

Trump took a one-day break from back-to-back rallies and spoke to voters in key states by phone, according to ABC. The president spent the morning and early afternoon at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and attended a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago in the evening.

His MAGA Inc. super PAC said tele-rallies were lined up for races in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Michigan, plus two separate calls for Florida. ABC noted that the White House released few details and that such calls usually differ from his rally speeches, which often run 90 minutes or longer.

Trump is scheduled to resume rallies Sunday in Iowa and Kansas. He told reporters late Saturday that Monday would bring a lot of different events but gave no details.

Why it matters for the Senate balance

Texas was not expected to be a central battleground, yet ABC described the race as a tossup and a measure of voter frustration with Trump and his loyalists. Republicans hold a 53-47 edge, so Democrats need a net gain of at least four seats for a majority, and a close result in Texas would bear directly on that math.

What happens next

With early voting totals approaching the 50 million mark and Election Day approaching, both campaigns have little time left to move voters. Trump’s in-person rallies resume Sunday, and he has said more events are planned for Monday.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News