The oil field engineerโs technical expertise and perspective will give him influence in other ways, industry experts said.
Ted Cruz
Surge in voter turnout in urban, border counties carried Texas blue wave
Meanwhile, rural counties saw the smallest growth in turnout.
James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton, giving Democrats their first U.S. Senate win in Texas since 1988
The Austin state lawmaker ran on a message that Americaโs true fault line is between not the left and the right, but the wealthy and everyone else. He had not yet been born when Texas last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
Most polls have Talarico ahead of Paxton in the U.S. Senate race
We’re tracking all major polls in the U.S. Senate race to give Texans a fuller picture of where this race is headed. Paxton has been consistently trailing in the polls, but the margins are tight.
Paxton vs. Talarico: Five things to watch in Texasโ tight U.S. Senate race
A swing back among Latino voters, Harris County turnout and Republicans skipping the Senate race are among the trends weโll be tracking as returns come in.
More than 7.7 million Texans voted early in 2026 election, surpassing 2018 record
More than 40 percent of voters cast a ballot during the early voting period, passing the modern-day record set in 2018.
With U.S. Senate control at stake, Republicans fear the once-unthinkable: a blue Texas
Ken Paxton and James Talarico are neck-and-neck in the country’s most expensive U.S. Senate race on record. The outcome’s ripple effects will extend years.
These are the most competitive November races up and down Texas’ midterm ballot
Texas has an unusually large slate of competitive races for the state Legislature and U.S. House this year. Hereโs our list of contests to watch.
Trump says more FEMA aid is coming to Texas after 2026 floods
Trump promised more federal money after FEMA denied individual assistance for Texas flood survivors. State officials have appealed FEMAโs decision.
Texas early voting rate is slightly behind 2018, when Beto OโRourke challenged Ted Cruz
Democratic primary voters outpaced Republicans in the opening week of early voting โ a result a GOP consultant called โnew territory.”

