Candidates Make Last-minute Appeals as Early Voting Begins in Texas Midterms
WHO:
The Texas Tribune - Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows is a Lubbock native.
The Texas Tribune - Protester C.C. Lawrence said she was concerned about gas prices and the Iran war, calling the wars “forever wars” that “suck up our resources and eat up taxpayer money and make billionaires richer.”
The Texas Tribune - Lubbock resident Loretta Davis said Trump’s speech made her more motivated to vote.
CBS News - Trump said his joke about Sen. Jon Husted helped Husted in the polls and joked about Ken Paxton’s body: “Maybe I should do that with Ken Paxton, but I’m not sure your body is gonna qualify.”
CBS News - At an Ohio campaign stop, Vivek Ramaswamy said Democrats’ election wins could let socialism “infect” Ohio; at another, he criticized Amy Acton for leaving her public-health-director post during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CBS News - President Trump said his joke about Ohio Sen. Jon Husted “helped” Husted in the polls and joked about Ken Paxton’s body.
CBS News - Vice President JD Vance made several recent visits to Ohio, including one the previous week; former President Barack Obama campaigned in Cleveland for Sherrod Brown, Amy Acton and other Democrats.
The Texas Tribune - Texas Democratic state Senate candidate Riley Rodriguez said, “West Texas shows up.”
The Daily Beast - Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Democrats were “making the presumption that the president will not accept the results.”
CNBC - Gober said he would sell his Dell shares if elected; he said they came from employee equity grants earned while he worked at Dell from 2021 to 2025.
The Texas Tribune - Protester C.C. Lawrence, a Texas Tech University student, called Trump and Paxton “criminals” and said the handling of the Epstein files was unacceptable.
CNBC - Republican congressional candidate Chris Gober is seeking Texas’s 10th District seat; his Democratic opponent is Caitlin Rourk, a U.S. Army veteran and former Dell Technologies employee.
The Texas Tribune - Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa was among Democrats described as gaining support.
CBS News - President Trump said, “pretend I’m on the ballot,” and defended his earlier comments about examining Sen. Jon Husted’s body, saying the media “only covered the ass part.”
CBS News - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine joined bipartisan criticism of Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother. Acton said she had not seen her mother since her mother and stepfather appeared at a court date decades ago.
CBS News - President Trump campaigned for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate, and House candidates including Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
The Texas Tribune - Trump and Paxton are Republicans; James Talarico is the Democratic Senate nominee. Talarico also held rallies in West Texas.
ABC News - The Texas Senate and governor’s races are closely watched. ABC’s voter-party estimates use L2 models because Texas and Georgia do not register voters by party.
Alternet - Former Trump communications director Bryan Lanza told CNN anchor Jake Tapper he was worried about Republican prospects. Republican officials and candidates quoted criticizing Paxton included Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, former Texas Congressman Alan Steeman, and former Ennis Mayor Russell Thomas.
The Texas Tribune - Lubbock County Republican Party chair Ken Adams called Trump’s rally significant; Lubbock County Democratic Party secretary Kim Gonzalez described it as evidence Republicans were worried.
WHAT:
CBS News - Trump said Texas’ oil industry had performed well: “We are making an absolute fortune. More than we ever have.”
The Texas Tribune - Trump claimed Talarico was “not even Christian” and said, “We can’t lose the votes.”
The Texas Tribune - Talarico blamed billionaires’ corruption for Texas’ “affordability crisis” and said Republicans were “terrified.”
The Texas Tribune - Protesters outside Trump’s Lubbock rally waved signs supporting Talarico and displaying anti-Trump messages; attendees inside booed mentions of Talarico and Democrats.
Al Jazeera - A Mitchell Research poll conducted for CBS Detroit on October 26–27 showed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers 51% to 44%, widening his lead from 4.2 percentage points earlier that month.
Al Jazeera - Will Lawrence, a Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, said young voters “could really be the difference-maker on November 3rd.”
Al Jazeera - Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said face-to-face voter conversations were important to counter negative and Islamophobic ads about Abdul El-Sayed.
Al Jazeera - Republican candidate Mike Collins is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia; Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is running for governor against Republican businessman Rick Jackson.
Al Jazeera - Al Jazeera reported that rural Texas turnout was 21% of registered voters, compared with 24% in metropolitan areas.
Al Jazeera - RealClearPolling showed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan 48% to 46%; a Mitchell Research poll for CBS Detroit showed El-Sayed ahead 51% to 44%.
Al Jazeera - Democrats needed a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take control; if they won North Carolina and Ohio and held their current seats, they would still be two Senate seats short of a majority.
The Texas Tribune - Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico maintained a small but steady lead over Republican Ken Paxton in most public opinion polls; Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994.
The Texas Tribune - Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa appeared to be gaining support.
The Texas Tribune - More than 4,000 people signed up for Talarico’s Lubbock rally, and the campaign moved it to a larger venue.
Al Jazeera - RealClearPolling’s national average showed Democrats leading Republicans 51.4% to 43.2%, a gap of 8.2 percentage points.
Al Jazeera - RealClearPolling showed Talarico leading Paxton 48.5% to 46.7%.
Al Jazeera - Democrats needed a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take control of Congress; Republicans held 53 Senate seats, while Democrats held 47, including two independents who caucused with them.
CBS News - At a Hebron campaign event, Vivek Ramaswamy predicted Republicans would win down the ballot and warned that socialism could “infect” Ohio. At a second event, he criticized Amy Acton for leaving her public-health-director post during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Daily Beast - A federal appeals court rejected the Justice Department’s bid to block California from counting 20,000 mail ballots over citizenship claims; U.S. District Judge David O. Carter appeared skeptical at a hearing.
CNBC - Gober said Texas should lead in AI while protecting water and power supplies, building supporting infrastructure and ensuring rural communities share in the benefits.
The Texas Tribune - Trump said James Talarico was “not even Christian” and claimed Democrats would repeal the Second Amendment and allow millions more people across the U.S.-Mexico border.
CNBC - SpaceX’s PAC donated $10,000 to Gober’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
CNBC - SpaceX reported third-quarter revenue of $7.56 billion, up from $813 million a year earlier; its earnings update said the company’s AI segment had become its largest business unit.
CNBC - Gober’s law firm represents Elon Musk and America PAC in two proposed class-action lawsuits alleging fraud over promises of daily $1 million prizes; the parties agreed to settle the suits, with terms undisclosed.
CNBC - Gober said America PAC’s 18 prizewinners were selected based on their potential as political spokespeople, not randomly. He said he would withdraw from ongoing legal representations if elected.
CBS News - CBS News rated the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico a toss-up and said Republicans were trying to avoid their first statewide loss in Texas in more than 30 years.
CBS News - Trump said the Iran war was driving up gas prices and frustrating voters.
CBS News - Of the 47 House districts CBS News identified as likely to determine control, 20 were held by Democrats and 27 by Republicans; Republicans held 53 Senate seats and Democrats 47.
The Texas Tribune - More than 4,000 people signed up for Talarico’s Lubbock rally, and the campaign changed venues to accommodate demand. Talarico said, “That’s a lot of Talafreakos in one room.”
ABC News - In Georgia, among early voters who had not voted in any of the previous four federal elections, 52% were modeled as likely Democratic voters and 12% as likely Republican voters. Among voters who had voted in two of the previous four federal elections, the modeled shares were 56% Democratic and 24% Republican.
The Daily Beast - A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 28% of Americans expected Trump to honor election results if Republicans lost.
Newsweek - Its article said Beto O’Rourke trailed Ted Cruz in every final poll before the 2018 Texas Senate election, while Talarico was tied with or ahead of Paxton in polling.
CBS News - Trump said Texas had never “done numbers like this” and that the state was making “an absolute fortune,” referring to its oil industry.
CBS News - The Battleground Tracker projected Democrats would win 229 House seats; its estimates ranged from 215 to 237. Republicans held 218 seats plus an independent who normally caucused with them; Democrats held 214, with two vacancies.
The Texas Tribune - Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows told the Lubbock rally that Austin was “the craziest, most blue progressive place there is” and warned that Travis County would decide the state’s future if Lubbock and other areas did not vote.
ABC News - More than 39 million Americans had voted early, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.
ABC News - Georgia had more than 2.1 million early ballots; modeled Democratic voters accounted for 54% and modeled Republican voters 38%. In Georgia, habitual voters represented 67% of early votes, compared with 55% at the same point in 2022.
CBS News - Trump held rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, urged undecided voters to check their 401(k)s before voting for Paxton, predicted gas prices would fall “very, very rapidly,” and said he would veto legislation “like crazy” if Democrats controlled the Senate.
The Texas Tribune - Trump spoke for more than an hour in Lubbock, attacked Talarico, and claimed Democrats would repeal the Second Amendment and allow millions more people across the U.S.-Mexico border. Talarico promised to lower housing, grocery, and health-care costs and said Trump administration policies had inflated them.
ABC News - More than 5 million Texans had voted early, over 20% of registered voters. As of Monday, modeled Democratic voters made up 51% of Texas early votes and modeled Republicans 45%; Democrats were ahead by 14 percentage points compared with trailing Republicans by about 8 points in 2022.
ABC News - In Texas, habitual voters made up 60% of early voting, versus 47% in 2024 and 44% in 2022. Among early voters who had skipped the previous four federal elections, 64% were modeled Democratic and 21% Republican, compared with 50% and 39% in the 2022 early vote.
Alternet - Lanza said Republicans might lose Texas’s Senate seat and estimated spending on the Republican side could approach half a billion dollars. He said the party had previously expected a stronger race with Sen. John Cornyn.
WHERE:
Al Jazeera - JD Vance campaigned in North Carolina, where Republican Michael Whatley faced former Gov. Roy Cooper in the Senate race.
The Texas Tribune - Ken Paxton held an event in Sherman before traveling to Amarillo; James Talarico held rallies in Midland and Amarillo.
CNBC - Texas’s 10th District includes the Terafab AI chip factory being built by Tesla and SpaceX, and Pflugerville, where the Boring Company has offices.
CBS News - Trump’s Texas rallies took place in Corpus Christi and Lubbock.
The Texas Tribune - Trump’s rally was at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center; Talarico’s was at the Fiesta Center. Talarico also held rallies in Midland and Amarillo; Paxton held events in Sherman and Amarillo.
ABC News - Early-vote analysis covered Texas and Georgia.
WHEN:
Al Jazeera - Trump was scheduled to campaign in South Carolina at 16:30 GMT on Thursday, then Florida on Friday and Kansas on Saturday; JD Vance’s Weatherford rally was scheduled for 17:15 GMT.
Al Jazeera - Talarico was scheduled to campaign in Dallas at 00:00 GMT Friday, or 7 p.m. Thursday local time.
Al Jazeera - Former Vice President Kamala Harris was expected to campaign in Georgia; Georgia’s early in-person voting ends Friday.
Al Jazeera - Trump was scheduled to campaign in South Carolina at 16:30 GMT on Thursday, then Florida on Friday and Kansas on Saturday; Vance’s Weatherford rally was scheduled for 17:15 GMT.
CBS News - Trump’s Ohio campaign visit was scheduled for Wednesday.
ABC News - Early voting in Texas and Georgia ends Friday.
WHY:
Al Jazeera - Democratic strategist Joel Rubin described the midterms as a potential “protest election,” with many Democratic voters seeking to check Trump’s power; Republican strategist Suhail Khan said some Trump voters were frustrated by rising fuel prices, rents and mortgage costs.
The Texas Tribune - The article attributed Democratic gains partly to dissatisfaction with living costs, rural Texas data-center growth and school funding.
The Daily Beast - The article said the Justice Department sued to prevent California from counting ballots based on unproven citizenship claims.
CNBC - Rourk said Gober could favor Musk’s business interests in Congress, including directing taxpayer-funded defense work to SpaceX and transportation work to Tesla; Gober said he would make decisions based on what was best for constituents.
The Texas Tribune - Drew Landry, a political science professor at South Plains College, said Trump’s visit was intended to counter Democrats’ motivation to vote.
The Daily Beast - The article said the Washington Post counted nearly 300 instances in Trump’s second term of him attacking election integrity, and that his warnings about voter ID and mail ballots had increased sixfold since 2025.
The Daily Beast - A Washington Post analysis cited by CNN host Erin Burnett counted more than 7,000 election-integrity claims from nearly 600 prominent right-wing online accounts and media outlets.
The Texas Tribune - The article said Democrats’ rise was partly fueled by dissatisfaction with the cost of living, rural Texas data centers, and school funding.
ABC News - The analysis said Republicans would need to mobilize less-enthusiastic supporters; less-frequent Texas voters who voted early were more likely to be modeled as Democratic.
Alternet - Lanza cited Paxton’s corruption record and low Republican enthusiasm as reasons for concern about the Senate race.
HOW:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned together across Georgia, with Bottoms urging voters to embrace “whole ballot energy.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jon Ossoff and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned together across the state, with Bottoms urging voters to embrace “whole ballot energy.”
The Daily Beast - Gunther Eagleman posted that 19 noncitizens had been charged in two swing states in one day; The Washington Post counted more than 200 of his posts questioning election rules.
The Daily Beast - Trump said he would accept election results only “if they’re honest elections” and urged passage of voter identification, proof-of-citizenship requirements, and the SAVE America Act.
The Daily Beast - Trump offered a $1 million reward for voter-fraud tips leading to a conviction.
The Texas Tribune - More than 4,000 people signed up for Talarico’s rally, prompting his campaign to move it to a larger venue.
ABC News - The analysis relied on voter records from L2 and models estimating likely party preference; the records do not identify how people voted or predict who will still vote.
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 20:00 UTC)
President Trump campaigned in Texas for Senate candidate Ken Paxton and other Republicans, while attacking Democrat James Talarico and claiming he was “not even Christian”; Talarico blamed billionaires for Texas’s affordability crisis and drew more than 4,000 sign-ups for a Lubbock rally. Polls showed Talarico narrowly leading Paxton, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa appeared to be gaining support in the governor’s race, and voters at Trump’s rally voiced concerns about gas prices, the Iran war and the handling of the Epstein files. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy warned that socialism could “infect” the state and faced bipartisan criticism over an ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother, while Trump joked about Sen. Jon Husted and Ken Paxton’s body.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 19:01 UTC)
Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is leading Republican Ken Paxton by a narrow margin in most Texas polls, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa appears to be gaining ground in the governor’s race; more than 4,000 people signed up for Talarico’s Lubbock rally, prompting a move to a larger venue. President Trump campaigned for Paxton and other Texas Republicans, attacking Talarico and warning that Democrats would weaken gun rights and open the border, while Talarico also rallied in West Texas. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy warned that socialism could “infect” the state and criticized Amy Acton, as President Trump joked about Sen. Jon Husted and Ken Paxton’s bodies.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 13:02 UTC)
Texas’s Senate race is a toss-up, with Democrat James Talarico holding a narrow lead over Republican Ken Paxton in several polls, while Democrat Gina Hinojosa appears to be gaining ground in the governor’s race. More than 4,000 people signed up for Talarico’s rally in Lubbock, prompting his campaign to move it to a larger venue, as President Trump campaigned for Paxton and other Republicans and attacked Talarico. In Ohio, Trump defended his remarks about Sen. Jon Husted, while Gov. Mike DeWine joined criticism of Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 12:06 UTC)
President Trump campaigned in Texas for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, attacking Democrat James Talarico and warning that Democrats would repeal the Second Amendment and allow more people across the southern border. The Texas Senate race is rated a toss-up, and Talarico drew strong interest in West Texas, with more than 4,000 people signing up for his Lubbock rally before it moved to a larger venue. In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Democrat Amy Acton, while Governor Mike DeWine joined bipartisan criticism of an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 10:00 UTC)
President Trump campaigned in Texas for Senate candidate Ken Paxton, attacking Democrat James Talarico and claiming Democrats would weaken gun rights and allow more people to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate race is rated a toss-up, while more than 5 million Texans had voted early and modeled Democratic voters held a lead; Talarico drew strong interest in Lubbock, with more than 4,000 people signing up for his rally. In Texas’s 10th District, Republican Chris Gober is running against Democrat Caitlin Rourk, and his campaign received $10,000 from SpaceX’s PAC as his law firm represented Elon Musk and America PAC in lawsuits over promised prize payments.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 04:59 UTC)
Texas’s Senate race is rated a toss-up, with Republican Ken Paxton facing Democrat James Talarico as President Trump campaigned for Paxton in Corpus Christi and Lubbock. More than 5 million Texans had voted early, and modeled Democratic voters made up 51% of those ballots, compared with 45% for Republicans; Talarico’s Lubbock rally drew more than 4,000 sign-ups and moved to a larger venue. Trump attacked Talarico and blamed the Iran war for higher gas prices, while Talarico focused on lowering living costs, and Republican officials including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine criticized Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 04:05 UTC)
President Trump campaigned in Texas for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, holding rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock as Democrat James Talarico also rallied across the state. More than 5 million Texans had voted early, with modeled Democratic voters making up 51% of those ballots and Republicans 45%; nationally, more than 39 million Americans had voted early, and Georgia had recorded more than 2.1 million ballots. Trump urged voters to check their 401(k)s before backing Paxton, criticized Democrats and called for stricter voting requirements, while Republican officials and strategists voiced concern about Paxton’s prospects and the party’s enthusiasm.
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(UPDATED October 29, 2026 01:15 UTC)
President Trump campaigned in Corpus Christi and Lubbock for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and other Texas Republicans, attacking Democratic nominee James Talarico while warning that Democrats would undo gun rights and allow more border crossings. More than five million Texans had voted early, with modeled Democrats making up 51% of early voters and Republicans 45%; Talarico focused on lowering living costs, while Paxton faced criticism from some Republicans over his corruption record. Republican strategist Bryan Lanza warned that the party could lose the Senate seat, as early-voting patterns showed less-frequent voters were more likely to be modeled as Democrats.