# Talarico Leads Paxton in Every Texas Senate Poll for First Time

> James Talarico now leads Ken Paxton in all current Texas Senate polls for the first time, with Hispanic voters shifting decisively.
- Title: Talarico Leads Paxton in Every Texas Senate Poll for First…
- Summary: James Talarico now leads Ken Paxton in all current Texas Senate polls for the first time, with Hispanic voters shifting decisively. Talarico leads Paxton in…
- Keywords: james talarico, ken paxton, texas senate, texas, polling, hispanic voters, emerson college, united states senate, Talarico, Leads, Paxton, Every
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/james-talarico-leads-ken-paxton-every-pollster-first-time-texas-senate-race-midterms-12454384
- Published: 2026-09-17T10:39:09+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: james talarico, ken paxton, texas senate, texas, polling, hispanic voters, emerson college, united states senate
## Talarico Leads All Polls
James Talarico leads Ken Paxton in polls from eight different pollsters, including a one-point margin in Emerson College's latest survey.

> Talarico leads Paxton in polls conducted by eight different pollsters for the first time ahead of the U.S. Senate election in November.
## Hispanic Voters Shift
Texas Hispanic voters now favor Talarico by 15 points, 54 percent to 39 percent, according to Emerson College's latest poll.

> Texas Hispanic voters, who broke for Trump in 2024, now break for Talarico by 15 points, 54 percent to 39 percent.
## Paxton's Favorability Drops
Paxton has a 40 percent favorable rating versus Talarico's 48 percent, showing a weakening image among voters.

> Paxton's figures ran in the opposite direction: 40 percent viewed him favorably and 48 percent unfavorably.
## Economy Dominates
The economy is the top issue for voters, with 36 percent citing it as the most important factor in the race.

> The economy was the leading issue in Emerson College Polling’s September survey, cited by 36 percent of voters.
## Trump's Support
President Trump has praised Paxton as the 'greatest attorney general in America' and criticized Talarico online.

> President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Paxton, calling him the 'greatest attorney general in America.'
## Campaign Response
Talarico's campaign claims Paxton uses AI to mislead voters, while Paxton's team released an AI-generated attack ad against him.

> James Talarico is weaponizing faith to sell a radical agenda.
## Historical Context
Texas hasn't elected a Democratic U.S. senator since Lloyd Bentsen won reelection in 1988.

> Texas has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since Lloyd Bentsen won reelection in 1988.
## Recent Polling Shift
Emerson College's latest poll shows Talarico leading by one point, with a 3.3-point margin of error, after previous polls showed Paxton ahead.

> Emerson College's previous poll, conducted between August 9 and 10, was the last time that Paxton held the lead in any poll.
## Key takeaway

Talarico leads Paxton in every pollster's latest Texas Senate race data, driven by Hispanic voter support.