A CBS News/YouGov poll found 59% of likely Texas voters said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton did not have the right personal character to serve as senator amid a close election.
The same survey found 45% gave that answer about Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Paxton is the Republican candidate in the race for a U.S. Senate seat.
On the ballot question, CBS found Talarico at 51% and Paxton at 49% among likely voters, a difference too small to establish a leader. CBS reported a 3.5-percentage-point margin of error for its likely-voter results. It surveyed 1,492 registered voters from Oct. 8-16.
A separate University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll measured favorability within each candidate’s party. It found that 69% of likely Republican voters viewed Paxton favorably, while 92% of likely Democratic voters viewed Talarico favorably. Those ratings measure a different question from the one CBS asked about personal character.
The cost of living ranked as Texas voters’ leading concern in the CBS poll. Talarico drew stronger support from respondents who said higher prices had strained their finances. Many Paxton supporters cited his Republican nomination or their support for President Donald Trump.
CBS said economic concerns and character perceptions helped Talarico, while Texas’s Republican lean helped Paxton. It also noted that younger voters have historically turned out at lower rates than older voters, leaving turnout important to the outcome.
The contest has implications for control of the U.S. Senate: Democrats need four net gains to take the chamber. Inside Elections rated the Republican-held Texas seat a toss-up on Oct. 15, an assessment of the race rather than a vote count.
In-person early voting began Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The election is Nov. 3.
