Texas Pulse\/TX Bush School ReconMR poll 7\/27-7\/30 LV<\/p>\n
US Senate Texas 2026<\/p>\n
(Black voters surveyed)<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udfe6James Talarico 87%
\ud83d\udfe5Ken Paxton 2%<\/p>\n
Link to crosstabs: https:\/\/t.co\/WhZ8Y3rglV<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/JOkPkkVRnq<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mwmiaLjvm1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Politics & Poll Tracker \ud83d\udce1 (@PollTracker2024) August 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n An August Texas Southern University poll of 1,200 likely voters found Talarico leading Paxton 47% to 45%, within the survey\u2019s 3-percentage-point margin of error. Talarico held commanding advantages among Black and Latino voters, while Paxton led among white voters.<\/p>\n For Talarico, Houston illustrates why support alone may need an extra push.<\/p>\n Talarico spent a weekend in August crisscrossing Houston before showing up at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and The Luke Church on a Sunday morning, a stop that did not go unnoticed by the church\u2019s majority Black congregants.<\/p>\n The reactions to his appearance ranged from enthusiastic to wary.<\/p>\n What people said<\/strong><\/p>\n Omar Reid, a deacon of Wheeler, said the visit was encouraging because Black communities have \u201chistorically and continuously been marginalized and disenfranchised.\u201d But it was also Talarico\u2019s first visit to Reid\u2019s church.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see that marginalization and disenfranchization get put on steroids; we become worried as a community,\u201d Reid said. \u201cWe want to be empowered and participate in the things that are going on across our government and across our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephanie Jackson, a health care executive, was less impressed by the symbolism. Politicians regularly visit churches during campaigns, she said, describing such appearances as \u201ca stop through\u201d on \u201cthe political circuit.\u201d<\/p>\n There seems to be a palpable tension in the Senate campaigns between political courtship and sustained investment. It is central to Talarico\u2019s Houston strategy. At a July town hall, Black voters challenged him on issues including voting rights, Black farmers, DEI, and representation on his campaign staff. During the meeting, Talarico pledged $25 million toward Black voter outreach.<\/p>\n Tiffany Williams, an engineer who follows Talarico, said that church appearances alone would not solve his problem.<\/p>\n \u201cJust the visit will not do it,\u201d Williams said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She argued Talarico had been too quiet toward African Americans after winning the Democratic primary and warned against assuming Black voters would automatically turn out.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a Democrat, I am looking to hear more of what Talarico will do for us as a body, not just African Americans, but Democrats in general,\u201d Williams added. \u201cAs a Christian, I\u2019m really interested to see if he\u2019s going to go to our national capital and really fight and advocate for Texans as well as reestablish what was previously in order prior to the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the church visits can introduce Talarico to voters who know little about him.<\/p>\n Jasmine Wilson, a 20-year church member, said she initially asked, \u201cWho is this guy?\u201d<\/p>\n His appearance alongside Congressman Christian Menefee gave him credibility with her and prompted her to learn more. Menefee\u2019s presence was effectively a vouching system.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey must be in the same cahoots if Christian is bringing him,\u201d said Wilson, after which she still felt she needed to learn who he is.<\/p>\n Wilson also noticed something else. Talarico stayed until the worship ended.<\/p>\n \u201cI was surprised that he actually stayed through the service,\u201d\u00a0 she said. \u201cA lot of them [political candidates] come just to get their names announced, and then they\u2019ll may stay for a bit, and then they leave. He actually generally stayed during service and worshiped, so that may make a difference to some.\u201d<\/p>\n Paxton\u2019s campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n Paxton, meanwhile, is confronting questions about whether he has been visible enough at all. The Defender\u2019s request for Paxton\u2019s voter-support strategies to his campaign team went unanswered.<\/p>\n At an August rally at Houston\u2019s White Oak Music Hall, Paxton sought to reassure Republicans after conservative commentators publicly questioned the pace of his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be empowered and participate in the things that are going on across our government and across our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Omar Reid, a deacon of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fox News host Jesse Watters had asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s Paxton?\u201d<\/a> while conservative influencer Link Lauren criticized a July European trip.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to keep working 17 hours a day. Whatever it takes,\u201d Paxton told several hundred supporters in Houston.<\/p>\n Paxton defended the overseas trip by saying he had gone to see his daughter and granddaughter. His campaign has since accelerated its public schedule, including four rallies in five days.<\/p>\n Paxton has also argued that his slower start in the general election was due in part to his prolonged Republican primary battle. In a separate interview, he said he emerged from the May 26 runoff with \u201c$0 left to spend,\u201d<\/a> while Talarico had months to raise money.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to build it up during the summer, which is challenging, but we\u2019re going to get there\u2026they will build up as we get closer to the election. So it\u2019s just a matter of time,\u201d Paxton said, promising a more aggressive campaign as resources increase.<\/p>\n Paxton\u2019s campaign rhetoric of keeping Texas conservative, fighting the \u201cradical left,\u201d tightening mail-ballot rules, and portraying Talarico as outside the Texas mainstream is built to consolidate a base he already holds comfortably rather than expand it.<\/p>\n He leaned into exactly that framing in a recent interview, casting Talarico as a \u201csocialist Democrat\u201d masquerading as a moderate, and arguing that once his campaign has the money to \u201cexpose more of his record,\u201d the race will tighten.<\/p>\n \n\tMORE FROM THE DEFENDER\n<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-28.jpeg\")
James Talarico is focusing on converting support among Black voters into turnout ahead of Election Day. Credit: Tannistha Sinha\/Defender<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_3094-scaled.jpg\")
Omar Reid, a deacon at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, welcomed James Talarico\u2019s visit as a meaningful outreach. Credit: Tannistha Sinha\/Defender<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_3117-scaled.jpg\")
Tiffany Williams, an engineer, said church visits are not enough and asked what James Talarico would deliver for Black voters if elected. Credit: Tannistha Sinha\/Defender<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2289118667-scaled.jpg\")
Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee and Texas attorney general, is trying to energize conservative voters. Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n\n
![\"Youtube](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788420144_920_hqdefault.jpg\")
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