The Texas Senate race has tightened to two points, according to a new Marist poll cited by CNN, with Democrat James Talarico close behind Republican Ken Paxton and the gap well within the margin of error.
Talarico, a state lawmaker and Christian seminarian, faced voters directly at a CNN town hall on October 14, including a pointed exchange with a self-described one-issue voter over abortion, where his claim about scripture was challenged from the floor.
Paxton did not take part in the town hall. With about three weeks to Election Day, Texas — long a long shot for Democrats — is being watched as a genuine contest rather than a formality.
The race is unfolding alongside a broader midterm map in which Republicans have pulled national spending from some House races, a sign strategists on both sides are recalculating where the final weeks will be fought.
