Politics Trump has joined the attack,
branding the Democrat “Tala-freako” and comparing him to MAD Maga- zine character Alfred E. Neuman. Talarico’s Focus: Talarico has two
6 Senate Races Hold Key to Control
W BY JOHN GIZZI
ith barely a month to go before Election Day, political insiders are placing their bets
on what the U.S. Senate will look like when the votes are counted. One thing now seems increasingly
clear: Whether Republicans maintain their 53-47 Senate majority — and with it their ability to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda during his fi nal two years in offi ce — could come down to six races. Here’s a look at the contests that could determine control of the Senate.
ical operatives in the Lone Star State question whether the race to succeed Republican Sen. John Cornyn will be among the most expensive, hardest- fought, and potentially closest Sen- ate contests in the nation. A recent Overton Insights poll of likely voters statewide showed Repub- lican Attorney General Ken Paxton — who ousted four-term incumbent Cornyn with help from Trump’s endorsement — narrowly trailing Democrat state Rep. James Talarico, 44%-43.4%. An August poll conducted by the
1
Barbara Jordan School of Public Aff airs at Texas Southern University also showed Talarico ahead, 47%-45%.
44 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2026 TEXAS
Billion-Dollar Race! State of Play: Few pundits or polit-
Money Game: Some political observ-
ers believe this could become the fi rst billion-dollar Senate race once candi- date spending and outside expendi- tures are counted. Talarico has raised an extraordi-
nary $68 million to $70 million, much of it through small-dollar donations. Paxton has raised roughly $9 mil-
lion directly, but his fi nancial fi repow- er could grow considerably with sup- port from Elon Musk’s America PAC and other outside political groups, including PACs backed by cryptocur- rency advocates. Paxton’s Focus: Paxton and his
allies are working to portray Talarico as far outside the Texas mainstream, particularly on immigration, the bor- der, and transgender issues. They have highlighted Talarico’s past char- acterization of the Texas border as a “front porch” that should function as a “giant welcome mat,” as well as comments he made while opposing Republican legislation restricting transgender youth.
principal targets: Paxton and Trump. He is hammering Paxton over the con- troversies surrounding the attorney general, including his impeachment battle, allegations of corruption, and his highly publicized divorce. Talarico is also trying to make the race a refer- endum on Trump. Democrats believe dissatisfaction with the administra- tion’s immigration enforcement — particularly among Hispanic voters — will reverse recent Republican gains with that constituency.
2 MICHIGAN
A Muslim Senator? State of Play: “All I will say is
this Senate race here in Michigan will be very, very close,” says Bay Coun- ty Executive Jim Barcia, a moderate Democrat. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the for-
mer Detroit health director, now faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, and could become the fi rst Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. A recent Susquehanna poll showed the Demo- cratic Socialists of America (DSA) member leading Rogers 46%-39%, a notable reversal after Rogers led in several surveys following the primary. The Michigan Senate race should have been in the bag for Democrats. But El-Sayed’s radicalism coupled with Trump’s popularity for helping the car industry puts the state into play. Money Game:Rogers has raised more
PAXTON TALARICO
than $4.2 million and is benefi ting from outside spend- ing, including support from the Great Lakes Con- servative Fund. El-Sayed raised more than $4.5 million during the primary, and was expected to report roughly twice that
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