The Austin Democrat leads Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton in latest survey

Published April 28, 2026 12:15PM (EDT)

In his campaign for the U.S. Senate, Texas state Democratic Rep. James Talarico wants to "fundamentally change our politics." (Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on The Texas Tribune .

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is leading both of his prospective Republican opponents in a new poll of Texas’ U.S. Senate race — though the result is within the margin of error in either scenario, suggesting a close contest in November.

The poll , conducted by Texas Public Opinion Research from April 17 to 20, found Talarico leading Sen. John Cornyn by three percentage points, 44% to 41%. The Austin Democrat leads Attorney General Ken Paxton by a margin of five percentage points, 46% to 41%.…