President Donald Trump is heading to Texas on Tuesday to campaign for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, stepping into the Lone Star state as the midterm election enters its final week with a deadlocked race, Fox News reported.
A Deadlocked Race in a Deep-Red Stronghold
Trump’s visit to Corpus Christi and Lubbock comes exactly one week before Election Day, with early voting already underway across Texas. Republicans are confronting an unusually competitive Senate contest in a longtime red-stronghold state that Trump carried by nearly 14 percentage points just two years ago.
A new Fox News poll released Wednesday found Paxton, the state attorney general and a MAGA firebrand, tied at 49% with Democratic state Representative James Talarico among likely voters in the race to replace retiring Sen. John Cornyn. Last month, Talarico held a narrow two-point edge over Paxton at 51% to 49%.
The high-stakes showdown aims to break Democrats’ more than 30-year statewide losing streak in Texas. It is also one of roughly a dozen Senate contests that will ultimately determine whether the GOP holds on to its slim Senate majority.
Dueling Events and Sharply Different Closing Pitches
Tuesday’s stops mark Trump’s fourth visit to the Lone Star State since Labor Day. The president previously spent two days in Dallas in early September for the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention, returned on Oct. 1 for an event at the Peterbilt truck manufacturing plant in Denton, and came back six days later for a campaign rally in San Antonio alongside Paxton.
I am incredibly honored to have President Trump’s COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT. No one has ever fought harder for the American people than President Trump, and I look forward to championing his America First agenda in the Senate! Texas, get out and VOTE! pic.twitter.com/vGcWH4ZwaD
Trump’s Tuesday schedule puts both sides of the Senate fight directly in Lubbock on the same day. While Trump rallies with Paxton at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Talarico is scheduled to campaign at Texas Tech on Tuesday evening.
Paxton has sought to tie Talarico to the national Democratic Party, portraying him as too liberal for Texas while pointing to past controversial comments by the candidate. Talarico, a former public school teacher and state lawmaker, has instead capitalized on voter dissatisfaction with the economy and high living costs.
Polling indicates a distinct enthusiasm gap in the closing days of the campaign. The Fox News poll found that 69% of Democrats are extremely interested in the election, compared with 61% of Republicans. Paxton also faces lingering resistance within his own party, with 90% of Republicans backing him, while 98% of Democrats support Talarico.
Legal Scrutiny and Broader Midterm Stakes
Paxton enters the final stretch carrying the weight of a decade of legal battles and scandals. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach him, though he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. Paxton is also navigating a contentious divorce after his wife filed to end their marriage last year, citing biblical grounds based on recent discoveries.
Beyond the marquee Senate battle, Texas remains central to the broader fight for control of the House of Representatives. Those congressional battles unfold as the national debate over inflation and high prices shapes voter decisions across the midterm landscape.
