A closer look at Dallas city, county propositions
Both the city of Dallas and Dallas County have a Proposition A on the ballot for the 2026 elections. But they're for different things. Here's a closer look.
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Both the city of Dallas and Dallas County have a Proposition A on the ballot for the 2026 elections. But they're for different things. Here's a closer look.
CBS News Texas takes one last look at the contentious race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton, with Democrats and Republicans weighing in on the spending.
Millions of early voters showed up to the polls in 2026, setting a new record for a non-presidential year.
The race will be key in deciding control of the Senate come January.
AdImpact Politics reports that when you add up the amount of ad spending in both the general election and the primaries, the Texas Senate race is now the most expensive non-presidential race on record — with ad spending reaching $544.5 million.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick predicted Republicans in Texas will close the gap with Democrats during early voting sometime next week. In an interview with CBS News Texas on Friday, Patrick said, "The Democrats have the early lead, but we have about 600,000 of the high-propensity voters who haven't shown up yet," said Patrick. "So, one of my messages to the Republicans is you need to get off the bench and get out and vote. We'll probably catch up and pass the Democrats sometime early next week, midweek. We should have a pretty healthy lead when we go into the end of early voting." Patrick explained that high-propensity voters are those who have voted in two, three, or four primaries over the past several years. After sounding the alarm for months that Republicans need to turn out for the midterm election, he expressed optimism.
As many as 10 million people in Texas may vote in this year's midterm election, according to the organization VoteHub, which works with CBS News' Data Desk. That's close to 90% of the nearly 11.4 million people who cast their ballots during the 2024 presidential election. Zachary Donnini, Head of Data Science at VoteHub, told CBS News Texas that the Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton attracts a lot of attention not only in Texas.
With the early voting period halfway over and Election Day looming, the candidates for U.S. Senate in Texas continue to cross the state to get their supporters to the polls. Both the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, and the Republican nominee, Attorney General Ken Paxton, made multiple stops in North Texas last week to make their final pitches to voters. The race has been rated a toss-up for months, with the most recent polls showing Talarico maintaining a narrow lead. The latest RealClearPolitics polling average gives Talarico a 1.8-percentage-point lead. That's in line with the results of the latest CBS News poll, which showed Talarico leading 51% to 49%, well within the margin for error. After the poll was released, CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto and CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe spoke with CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink about their main takeaways.
This week on Eye on Politics, we get a closer look at what early voter data in Texas could reveal. Plus, what analysts are focusing on in the Talarico-Paxton race.
The latest CBS News poll showed Talarico leading 51% to 49%, well within the margin for error.
Head of Data Science at VoteHub, said the Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton attracts a lot of attention not only in Texas.
After sounding the alarm for months that Republicans need to turn out for the midterm election, Patrick expressed optimism.
Nearly 1.5 million Texans voted in the first two days of early voting, with Democratic-leaning voters showing stronger early participation than in 2024. Analysts caution that turnout trends don't necessarily predict election results.
Few, if any, expected the Texas Governor's race to become as close as the polls now indicate. Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, faces Democratic State Representative Gina Hinojosa of Austin, who has gained momentum during the past month. Both candidates are going to be kicking it into high gear over the next two-plus weeks until Election Day to make sure they get their supporters to the polls. It comes as the Secretary of State announced Friday afternoon that Texas has more than 19 million registered voters, a new record number. As of Friday evening, the Real Clear Politics average of polls between September 18 and October 11 shows Abbott led Hinojosa by just 1.8 percentage points, 48.4% to 46.6%. The Cook Political Report, which rates political races, rates this "Lean R". Abbott is favored to win despite the polling, in part because of his extensive voter turnout operation and funding.
Tarrant County is a major political battleground. It's the largest Republican-controlled county in Texas and the United States. Republican Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare is facing Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons in the November election. O'Hare has said for years that one of his top priorities is to keep the county red
On the eve of early voting in Texas, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico maintains a slim lead over Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, in the race for U.S. Senate. The Real Clear Politics average of polls between September 24 and October 14 shows Talarico ahead by an average of 2.2 percentage points. The bruising political fight continues as the campaigns and outside committees spend mountains of cash on advertising. According to Ad Impact Politics, spending on the Texas Senate race has topped $500 million. The figure includes the primary races and future ad bookings. Of that, Republicans have spent more than $368 million, and $132 million has come from Democrats. With more than two weeks to go until Election Day, the number is sure to rise.
This week on Eye on Politics, the home stretch begins for the 2026 midterm elections as early voting opens up in Texas this week. Here's a look at where candidates stand now, from local elections to state and federal offices.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, faces Democratic State Representative Gina Hinojosa of Austin, who has gained momentum during the past month.
On the eve of early voting in Texas, James Talarico maintains a slim lead over Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate.
Republican County Judge Tim O'Hare and Democrat Alisa Simmons spoke with Jack Fink about property taxes and the closure of polling locations.
A nine-day campaign absence, a heated abortion debate and sharp criticism of ICE. James Talarico faced tough questions at CNN's Jubilee Town Hall.
The nation's highest court increased restrictions on the use of race when drawing congressional, state legislative and other districts.
Gov. Abbott said, "Her response is really an act of desperation, and it commits a cardinal sin. She thinks that she can fool the voters. Texas voters are not going to be fooled."
Tarrant County is maintaining its battleground status ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, and it's not just statewide races receiving national attention. The largest Republican county in the U.S. also features competitive local races farther down the ballot. One we will be keeping close watch of is for Texas state Senate District 9, which includes Fort Worth and other parts of the county.
Amid a very tight race, Governor Greg Abbott sharply criticized Democrat Gina Hinojosa's voting record and claimed she's trying to mislead Texas voters. The Governor said Hinojosa, a state representative from Austin, voted for a state income tax back in May 2019. The vote was for HJR 38, a proposed constitutional amendment to ban a state income tax. It passed the House by a margin of 100-42, allowing it to move forward. The State Senate also approved the measure, and it was overwhelmingly approved by voters that November, by a 76% to 24%. Hinojosa has denied voting for a state income tax.
