New data shows Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton by 2.6 points in Texas. This is a huge surprise because Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988. The RealClearPolitics polling average also shows Democrat Peggy Flanagan leading in Minnesota by 1.8 points. This race was not expected to be competitive at all. Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini notes that Democrats often look strong in red states during the summer.
However, Ruffini cautioned that Democrats have repeatedly shown promise in red state Senate races during the summer of recent election cycles before fading by election day.
The White House is watching these numbers closely. Democrats are also leading in North Carolina and Georgia. Republicans only hold a 1.1-point lead in Iowa. Some polls even show Republicans trailing in Kansas and Nebraska.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is set to join Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed next Tuesday. They will meet at a roundtable on Black maternal health. El-Sayed told Politico he is excited about her visit.
“I’m just really looking forward to having her here, and she is somebody who so many folks in communities like Detroit look up to as an inspirational leader,” he said, according to Fox News.
The Detroit News endorsed El-Sayed’s rival, Mike Rogers, on Wednesday. The paper criticized El-Sayed for hiding his past views. According to the statement, his intense effort to conceal his actions before this Senate race makes it impossible to identify his true self or determine his Senate stance. Harris previously endorsed El-Sayed to help win a Democratic majority.
A new survey shows Asian American voters in Texas are moving toward the Republican Party. The GOP gained an 11.4-point advantage among these voters since 2022. Yet no party holds a majority of this vote. Nearly 40 percent identify with the GOP while 31 percent identify as Democrats.
Some Republicans worry about a recent scandal involving candidate Bo French. He made a disparaging comment about Asian American students. Senator John Cornyn inquired whether other Republican elected officials will denounce the racism and intolerance or simply ignore it as it becomes normalized. He added, “This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad.” Nabila Mansoor says it is hard to be taken seriously by voters.
