Based on Paxton and Talarico tussle for Texas Senate seat as Trump campaigns virtually · PBS News Hour - The Latest, Oct 31, 2026, 18:14 ET
Explain the Big Deal: Texas and several other battlegrounds are in the final stretch as early voting ends and campaigns shift into the last days before Election Day.
What happened?
Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are making their final appeal in a competitive Texas U.S. Senate race. Talarico is casting Paxton as corrupt, pointing to his legal troubles and years of controversy. Paxton is portraying Talarico as too liberal for Texas and tied to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer if Democrats win control.
Who is involved and why does it matter?
Paxton is Texas attorney general and has Trump’s endorsement after defeating Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. Talarico is a state lawmaker, seminarian, and former teacher who says the race is about corruption and who benefits from government. The race matters because Texas is a large, closely watched state, and its outcome could affect which party controls the Senate.
What is the broader context?
The contest is unfolding during a broader national sprint toward the end of early voting, with totals nearing 50 million before the weekend. Trump is shifting from in-person rallies to virtual campaign events, while both parties are also focused on battleground House races. The article also shows how Trump, Jeffries, and Speaker Mike Johnson are each trying to frame the election in national terms.
What happens next?
Next, early voting will continue to close in several states, and both parties will keep pushing turnout through the final days. Trump is scheduled to hold virtual calls for multiple races and later in-person rallies in Iowa and Kansas. The story does not say when results will be known or how the Texas race will ultimately break.
Written by the Explain the Big Deal template from the article above. An AI summary: read the full story at the source.
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