The race between United States Senate candidates James Talarico (D-TX) and Ken Paxton (R-TX) is already shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms, and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is warning Republicans that the race will not be easy.
Sen. Cruz, a long-term supporter of Paxton and Talarico critic, admitted on the Sean Hannity radio show last week, with guest host Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX), that this upcoming midterm election will be a close call for Texas.
"So look, unfortunately, I do think he has a chance,” Sen. Cruz said. “I think this is a real race. I think it's going to be close.”
According to recent polling, Talarico is leading Paxton by just a few percentage points, which Sen. Cruz kept in mind.
“I think we're going to win,” Sen. Cruz said. “I think we're going to keep Texas red. But the polling right now shows this is a one or two-point race."
Although the state has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, there have been close calls—one of which was Sen. Cruz’s race in 2018, which he won by 2.6 percentage points against Beto O'Rourke.
Adding to Republican concerns, Talarico’s campaign recently announced a record-breaking $30 million fundraising haul, giving Democrats a major financial boost as they look to compete in Texas and target Republican-held seats across the country.
Sen. Cruz, however, remained critical of Talarico, whom he called “radical” and “extreme” for making statements like God is nonbinary and there are six sexes, which other Republicans have also called Talarico on.
But Sen. Cruz also described Talarico as “charming.”
“He is affable, he sounds like a preacher, and I worry about the voters who may not be paying close attention to the issues, who just turn on the TV and say, ‘Oh, he seems like a nice young man,’” Sen. Cruz said.
