At a rally in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico took the stage just an hour after Trump wrapped his own speech in the Lone Star State. Talarico energized the crowd,

The 2026 Texas Senate election could help determine control of the U.S. Senate as record-breaking campaign spending, competing political messages and voter concerns over affordability put the Paxton-Talarico matchup in the national spotlight.

President Donald Trump will be joined by one of his potential successors on Tuesday as he tries to keep Texas, which hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office in 32 years, in the Republican column in next week's midterm elections.

In several competitive U.S. Senate contests, candidates have built healthy campaign accounts with out-of-state donations. But the messages to those donors is very different from the one back at home.

With Ken Paxton stepping down after over a decade as Texas attorney general to run for U.S. senator, Republican candidate Mayes Middleton and Democratic candidate Nathan Johnson have been on the campaign trail since early 2025.

Texas’ booming suburbs have been a hard-fought political battleground for several cycles. How they vote in next week’s election could decide the state’s marquee races, including the U.S. Senate, and scores of critical legislative contests.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a campaign rally, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Corpus Christi, Texas. | Eric Vryn Firmly conservative Fort Worth resident Mike Sturgill found himself in a dilemma this midterm election cycle.

The Texas Secretary of State said more than 4.2 million Texans cast ballots during the first six days of early voting.