Texas statewide races tighten as new poll shows slim GOP margins - USA Today

With millions of Texans already voting, a new poll shows Republicans still ahead in most statewide races, though not by much.

At the top of the ticket, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by 3 percentage points, 50% to 47%, in a new Texas Southern University poll released Oct. 29.

The poll is among recent polls showing a tight race, as Abbott won his last reelection —against Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke — by 11 points in 2022. Texas hasn't elected a Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1990.

Here's a closer look at the governor's race and other statewide races.

The poll surveyed 2,000 likely voters Oct. 21-25 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.19 percentage points.

The poll found that 48% of likely voters view Abbott favorably and 51% unfavorably, while 45% view Hinojosa favorably and 49% unfavorably, with 6% not knowing enough about her to have an opinion.

Few voters plan to split their tickets. Among likely voters backing Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, 99% intend to vote for Abbott and 1% for Dixon. Among Abbott voters, 95% intend to vote for Paxton, 2% for Democrat James Talarico and 2% for Brown.

On the Democratic side, 95% of Talarico voters intend to vote for Hinojosa and 3% for Abbott and 1% for Dixon, while 99% of Hinojosa voters intend to vote for Talarico and 1% for Brown.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas, based in Austin. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.