President Donald Trump held back-to-back Texas rallies Tuesday for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, NBC News and Fox News report. Trump spoke in Corpus Christi and then in Lubbock with Paxton, one week before the November 3 midterms and with early voting already underway. Democrat James Talarico, a state representative and former teacher, held his own Lubbock event at Texas Tech the same evening, Fox News reported.

A Fox News poll released Wednesday found Paxton and Talarico tied at 49% among likely voters in the race to replace retiring Sen. John Cornyn. Last month the same poll had Talarico ahead 51% to 49%. Trump carried Texas by nearly 14 points two years ago, Fox News noted, so a dead heat is unusual this late.

The campaigns are closing with different pitches. Paxton's side ties Talarico to national Democrats and says he is too liberal for Texas, pointing to past comments. Talarico is pressing voter frustration with Trump's handling of the economy, Fox News reported. The Fox poll also found Democrats more enthusiastic than Republicans, 69% to 61% extremely interested, and Hispanic likely voters favoring Talarico 64% to 34%.

Paxton beat Cornyn in a drawn-out GOP primary earlier this year. He still faces fallout from past scandals, including a 2023 Texas House impeachment that ended in a full Senate acquittal, Fox News reported. Control of the Senate turns on a handful of close races. Texas has also been remapped for the House fight, so the state sits at the center of both chambers' math.

What we know: Trump rallied twice in Texas for Paxton on Tuesday while Talarico campaigned in Lubbock, and a Fox News poll shows the Senate race tied at 49%.
What we don't: Whether late deciders and early voters break the tie before November 3, or how much Trump's visits move turnout.

Sources:
- NBC News — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-texas-rally-vance-michigan-senate-congress-2026-live-updates-rcna605788
- Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-won-reliably-red-state-double-digits-deadlocked-race-bringing-him-back