With household costs high on voters' minds, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Rep. James Talarico are advancing different relief proposals in a close Senate race ahead of Nov. 3.
A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll by YouGov found that 36% of responses to an open-ended question about the most important issue for voters’ 2026 ballots concerned cost of living or the economy. Cost of living accounted for 21% and the economy for 15%. Together, they formed the largest issue group among Republicans (38%), independents (37%) and Democrats (33%).
The survey, conducted Sept. 25-Oct. 5, put Talarico ahead of Paxton 50% to 47% among likely voters, within the 3.34-percentage-point margin of error. Asked which candidate they trusted to do a better job on the cost of living, 41% selected Talarico and 38% Paxton. More than half of respondents were very concerned about food and consumer prices (62%), gasoline and energy costs (61%), health care costs (60%) and housing costs (52%).
A separate CBS News/YouGov survey of 1,492 registered Texas voters, conducted Oct. 8-16, also placed cost of living at the top of the issue list. CBS News reported that Talarico led Paxton among respondents who said higher prices had negatively affected them. The surveys used different samples and field dates, and neither establishes whether affordability will decide the race.
Talarico’s campaign platform proposes expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and creating a public health insurance option. The Texas Tribune reported that Paxton’s plan includes deductions tied to medical expenses, housing expenses and family costs, plus a proposal to raise the maximum Child Tax Credit to $4,400 per child.
Andrew Lautz, senior director of federal policy at the Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy, told the Tribune that higher-income households may capture more value from the deductions, while some lower-income families could see little benefit if they owe too little tax to use them. His view is an expert assessment, not a formal estimate of the proposals’ budget impact.
The Associated Press described the contest as a strong opportunity for Democrats. CBS News’ Nov. 1 report also identified immigration, transgender rights and government corruption as campaign issues. EconoTimes has previously examined the race’s implications for Democrats’ path to Senate control. Texas voters will cast ballots Nov. 3.
