1611 Forecasting

Texas

Texas

U.S. Senate

Open seat

Forecast as of October 7, 2026. These vote totals equal the sum of the counties below. Not a poll average.

RKen Paxton, R

Ken Paxton

Republican

4,532,043 votesWin probability 65.3%

DJames Talarico, D

James Talarico

Democratic

4,363,480 votesWin probability 34.7%

Other

126,953 votes

Margin

R+1.9

Win probability

65.3%

80% interval

D+4.2 to R+8.0

95% interval

D+7.5 to R+11.2

Market

66%

James Talarico · win probability, not a vote share

Raw data Checking polls.

50,000 draws. The 80% interval is the 10th to the 90th percentile. The 95% interval is the 2.5th to the 97.5th. The thin mark is the 95% interval. The thick mark is the 80%. The hairline is zero. 9,022,476 ballots, equal to the table.

Counties

Every reporting unit in the race. Sort any column. The votes above are this table added up.

Counties
Party
Harris CountyJames TalaricoDD+17.758.2%1,245,048
Dallas CountyJames TalaricoDD+34.466.5%679,158
Tarrant CountyJames TalaricoDD+4.851.7%658,144
Bexar CountyJames TalaricoDD+21.760.2%606,038
Travis CountyJames TalaricoDD+50.574.6%464,228
Collin CountyKen PaxtonRR+1.450.0%412,134
Denton CountyKen PaxtonRR+3.851.2%358,983
Fort Bend CountyJames TalaricoDD+13.656.1%289,807
Williamson CountyJames TalaricoDD+6.852.7%246,530
Montgomery CountyKen PaxtonRR+38.368.4%245,707
El Paso CountyJames TalaricoDD+36.267.4%201,097
Hidalgo CountyJames TalaricoDD+22.660.6%173,755
Brazoria CountyKen PaxtonRR+11.655.1%129,560
Galveston CountyKen PaxtonRR+17.057.8%127,146
Bell CountyKen PaxtonRR+6.652.6%104,446
Hays CountyJames TalaricoDD+16.957.8%100,550
Lubbock CountyKen PaxtonRR+28.863.7%99,978
Nueces CountyJames TalaricoDD+1.550.1%97,291
Cameron CountyJames TalaricoDD+16.157.4%92,898
Smith CountyKen PaxtonRR+36.067.3%83,052
Comal CountyKen PaxtonRR+37.868.2%82,772
McLennan CountyKen PaxtonRR+20.659.6%79,592
Ellis CountyKen PaxtonRR+25.562.0%79,588
Brazos CountyKen PaxtonRR+12.955.7%73,478
Parker CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.678.1%72,642
Jefferson CountyJames TalaricoDD+2.050.3%69,018
Guadalupe CountyKen PaxtonRR+20.159.4%68,078
Johnson CountyKen PaxtonRR+43.871.2%64,553
Kaufman CountyKen PaxtonRR+23.661.1%55,493
Randall CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.376.0%53,483
Grayson CountyKen PaxtonRR+44.671.6%52,710
Webb CountyJames TalaricoDD+25.662.1%52,676
Rockwall CountyKen PaxtonRR+32.465.5%49,801
Midland CountyKen PaxtonRR+50.974.8%47,040
Taylor CountyKen PaxtonRR+41.670.1%44,309
Hunt CountyKen PaxtonRR+45.372.0%37,362
Gregg CountyKen PaxtonRR+33.566.1%37,359
Tom Green CountyKen PaxtonRR+38.668.6%36,350
Wichita CountyKen PaxtonRR+35.867.2%35,598
Ector CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.669.1%34,092
Bastrop CountyKen PaxtonRR+8.053.3%31,830
Henderson CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.276.4%30,822
Wise CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.679.6%30,584
Bowie CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.969.3%29,303
Hood CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.077.8%29,230
Orange CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.678.1%29,062
Victoria CountyKen PaxtonRR+34.966.8%28,191
Angelina CountyKen PaxtonRR+42.670.6%27,535
Potter CountyKen PaxtonRR+34.966.7%25,673
Liberty CountyKen PaxtonRR+52.175.3%25,053
Harrison CountyKen PaxtonRR+41.770.2%24,181
Kendall CountyKen PaxtonRR+48.873.7%23,436
Hardin CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.083.3%22,526
Kerr CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.472.5%22,525
Burnet CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.872.7%22,518
Van Zandt CountyKen PaxtonRR+65.882.2%22,348
Waller CountyKen PaxtonRR+17.458.0%22,036
Wilson CountyKen PaxtonRR+43.671.1%21,816
San Patricio CountyKen PaxtonRR+23.861.2%20,458
Nacogdoches CountyKen PaxtonRR+27.763.2%20,376
Walker CountyKen PaxtonRR+28.963.8%20,136
Chambers CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.377.4%19,977
Medina CountyKen PaxtonRR+34.966.7%19,678
Wood CountyKen PaxtonRR+62.480.5%19,505
Polk CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.974.3%19,428
Coryell CountyKen PaxtonRR+31.064.8%19,129
Rusk CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.074.8%17,362
Lamar CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.375.0%16,989
Cherokee CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.476.0%16,402
Cooke CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.578.6%16,346
Upshur CountyKen PaxtonRR+62.080.3%15,906
Navarro CountyKen PaxtonRR+41.570.0%15,863
Anderson CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.875.2%15,482
Atascosa CountyKen PaxtonRR+28.463.5%14,754
Erath CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.578.0%14,680
Washington CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.472.5%14,566
Brown CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.082.3%13,482
Hopkins CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.476.5%13,418
Hill CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.876.2%13,362
Gillespie CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.275.9%13,186
Wharton CountyKen PaxtonRR+40.369.4%13,162
Starr CountyJames TalaricoDD+22.560.5%13,135
Fannin CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.977.8%13,108
Jasper CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.978.2%12,671
Maverick CountyJames TalaricoDD+17.858.2%12,594
Caldwell CountyKen PaxtonRR+4.251.4%12,549
Austin CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.076.3%12,303
Val Verde CountyKen PaxtonRR+4.451.5%11,662
Cass CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.077.8%11,312
Grimes CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.974.3%11,234
Llano CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.175.8%10,898
Bandera CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.976.2%10,874
Palo Pinto CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.177.9%10,666
Fayette CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.175.8%10,662
Matagorda CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.268.9%10,646
Jim Wells CountyJames TalaricoDD+2.750.7%10,614
Aransas CountyKen PaxtonRR+45.672.1%10,422
San Jacinto CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.577.5%10,231
Panola CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.878.7%9,150
Lampasas CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.775.2%9,037
Montague CountyKen PaxtonRR+69.183.8%8,878
Milam CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.072.8%8,874
Lavaca CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.983.3%8,389
Titus CountyKen PaxtonRR+42.970.7%8,166
Kleberg CountyJames TalaricoDD+2.750.7%8,008
Colorado CountyKen PaxtonRR+48.273.4%7,995
Shelby CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.477.5%7,958
Uvalde CountyKen PaxtonRR+15.357.0%7,815
Howard CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.675.1%7,712
Tyler CountyKen PaxtonRR+63.781.2%7,662
Bosque CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.177.9%7,657
Burleson CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.075.8%7,492
Houston CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.272.9%7,490
Hale CountyKen PaxtonRR+45.972.2%7,422
Limestone CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.573.1%7,255
Leon CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.783.6%7,248
Freestone CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.977.8%7,236
Bee CountyKen PaxtonRR+24.061.3%7,031
Blanco CountyKen PaxtonRR+42.670.6%6,814
Lee CountyKen PaxtonRR+51.174.8%6,730
Eastland CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.983.8%6,690
Young CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.383.5%6,647
Hutchinson CountyKen PaxtonRR+70.484.5%6,593
Robertson CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.569.0%6,523
Hockley CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.177.8%6,390
Calhoun CountyKen PaxtonRR+38.768.6%6,266
DeWitt CountyKen PaxtonRR+55.076.8%4,538
Gonzales CountyKen PaxtonRR+41.870.2%4,498
Gray CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.183.3%4,396
Trinity CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.476.5%4,277
Callahan CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.382.4%4,051
Jones CountyKen PaxtonRR+59.779.1%4,029
Rains CountyKen PaxtonRR+61.079.8%3,801
Comanche CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.079.3%3,796
Gaines CountyKen PaxtonRR+69.384.0%3,721
Jackson CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.578.6%3,671
Falls CountyKen PaxtonRR+31.965.2%3,640
Willacy CountyJames TalaricoDD+21.960.2%3,560
Andrews CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.378.4%3,514
Clay CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.282.9%3,425
Red River CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.374.0%3,362
Newton CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.476.0%3,334
Scurry CountyKen PaxtonRR+61.880.2%3,318
Sabine CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.683.1%3,237
Madison CountyKen PaxtonRR+52.275.4%3,184
Frio CountyJames TalaricoDD+2.050.3%3,157
Morris CountyKen PaxtonRR+37.067.8%3,151
Zapata CountyJames TalaricoDD+10.554.5%3,117
Moore CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.976.2%3,108
Franklin CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.478.5%3,080
Somervell CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.878.2%3,065
Camp CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.068.8%3,040
Archer CountyKen PaxtonRR+69.484.0%2,977
Nolan CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.372.4%2,966
Live Oak CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.478.5%2,953
Karnes CountyKen PaxtonRR+40.169.4%2,944
Brewster CountyJames TalaricoDD+4.051.3%2,929
Duval CountyJames TalaricoDD+22.060.3%2,855
Marion CountyKen PaxtonRR+38.768.7%2,734
Hamilton CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.279.4%2,589
Wilbarger CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.873.2%2,589
Deaf Smith CountyKen PaxtonRR+38.668.6%2,486
Pecos CountyKen PaxtonRR+25.462.0%2,455
Jack CountyKen PaxtonRR+70.584.5%2,437
Coleman CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.383.4%2,410
Lamb CountyKen PaxtonRR+52.775.7%2,408
Runnels CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.282.4%2,352
Goliad CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.572.5%2,311
Dimmit CountyJames TalaricoDD+31.164.8%2,193
Ward CountyKen PaxtonRR+46.472.5%2,183
Stephens CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.183.4%2,181
San Augustine CountyKen PaxtonRR+44.871.7%2,173
McCulloch CountyKen PaxtonRR+61.780.1%2,038
Dawson CountyKen PaxtonRR+45.071.8%2,036
Zavala CountyJames TalaricoDD+44.871.7%2,025
Reeves CountyKen PaxtonRR+8.953.7%1,995
Terry CountyKen PaxtonRR+50.974.7%1,983
Carson CountyKen PaxtonRR+70.284.4%1,840
Refugio CountyKen PaxtonRR+25.962.2%1,782
Ochiltree CountyKen PaxtonRR+71.585.0%1,745
Mills CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.882.7%1,590
San Saba CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.082.8%1,568
Delta CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.277.4%1,542
La Salle CountyJames TalaricoDD+4.251.4%1,510
Lynn CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.878.2%1,489
Mason CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.275.9%1,465
Mitchell CountyKen PaxtonRR+59.378.9%1,458
Parmer CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.078.3%1,452
Brooks CountyJames TalaricoDD+36.167.3%1,393
Kimble CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.882.7%1,393
Yoakum CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.278.4%1,388
Childress CountyKen PaxtonRR+64.981.7%1,318
Wheeler CountyKen PaxtonRR+75.386.9%1,318
Swisher CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.574.0%1,314
Haskell CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.378.0%1,303
Floyd CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.473.0%1,212
Martin CountyKen PaxtonRR+62.780.6%1,208
Castro CountyKen PaxtonRR+45.972.3%1,172
Hartley CountyKen PaxtonRR+73.185.9%1,169
Hansford CountyKen PaxtonRR+74.886.7%1,159
Presidio CountyJames TalaricoDD+45.972.3%1,157
Real CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.478.0%1,136
Winkler CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.176.4%1,121
Crosby CountyKen PaxtonRR+36.867.7%1,090
Fisher CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.073.8%1,061
Coke CountyKen PaxtonRR+68.583.6%1,052
Bailey CountyKen PaxtonRR+47.372.9%1,009
Shackelford CountyKen PaxtonRR+72.985.7%1,002
Donley CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.082.8%993
Baylor CountyKen PaxtonRR+65.982.2%969
Hemphill CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.782.7%935
Garza CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.679.6%927
Jim Hogg CountyJames TalaricoDD+36.167.4%919
Dallam CountyKen PaxtonRR+66.982.7%839
Kinney CountyKen PaxtonRR+34.166.3%823
Crockett CountyKen PaxtonRR+40.569.6%822
Hardeman CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.279.4%815
Sutton CountyKen PaxtonRR+52.675.6%812
Crane CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.177.9%804
Knox CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.075.8%798
Upton CountyKen PaxtonRR+62.080.3%756
Lipscomb CountyKen PaxtonRR+69.083.8%730
Collingsworth CountyKen PaxtonRR+67.382.9%697
Concho CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.079.3%695
Jeff Davis CountyKen PaxtonRR+11.855.2%678
Hall CountyKen PaxtonRR+61.179.9%666
Armstrong CountyKen PaxtonRR+74.386.5%643
Schleicher CountyKen PaxtonRR+50.774.7%643
Menard CountyKen PaxtonRR+54.176.3%603
Hudspeth CountyKen PaxtonRR+21.660.1%602
Edwards CountyKen PaxtonRR+57.177.9%583
Dickens CountyKen PaxtonRR+60.479.5%576
Oldham CountyKen PaxtonRR+72.485.5%565
Reagan CountyKen PaxtonRR+58.278.4%550
Throckmorton CountyKen PaxtonRR+71.184.9%522
Cochran CountyKen PaxtonRR+53.175.9%518
Sherman CountyKen PaxtonRR+70.684.6%506
Irion CountyKen PaxtonRR+64.081.3%503
Culberson CountyJames TalaricoDD+11.855.2%500
Briscoe CountyKen PaxtonRR+69.083.8%432
Stonewall CountyKen PaxtonRR+56.177.3%415
Glasscock CountyKen PaxtonRR+78.488.6%385
Cottle CountyKen PaxtonRR+59.879.3%381
Motley CountyKen PaxtonRR+76.987.8%377
Sterling CountyKen PaxtonRR+73.486.0%365
Roberts CountyKen PaxtonRR+82.890.6%331
Foard CountyKen PaxtonRR+49.173.7%316
McMullen CountyKen PaxtonRR+72.385.5%282
Kent CountyKen PaxtonRR+64.781.8%258
Terrell CountyKen PaxtonRR+39.168.9%235
Borden CountyKen PaxtonRR+80.889.7%224
Kenedy CountyKen PaxtonRR+18.558.7%92
King CountyKen PaxtonRR+83.391.0%78
Loving CountyKen PaxtonRR+62.580.4%56

Model

  1. Raw data

    2024 presidential baseline

    National R−D 1.5

    County presidential file. Not the 2026 result.

  2. Raw data

    Generic ballot

    D 50.8 R 42.6 R−D -8.2

    National Wikipedia aggregate, October 5, 2026. State generic ballots, where a public poll exists, replace a uniform national swing: ME, MI, NH, NY, OH. A state with no generic-ballot poll keeps the national number and is not assigned a neighbor's.

  3. Raw data

    Party identification

    Pew D+5 and Gallup D+10, blend R−D -7.3

    Pew NPORS 2026, identifiers plus leaners: Republican 43, Democratic 48. Gallup party identification plus leaners, first two quarters of 2026: Democratic 49, Republican 39. Pew is 55% of this blend and Gallup is 45%.

  4. Model input

    National block

    R−D -7.8

    60% generic ballot and 40% party identification. The swing versus the 2024 presidential margin is what gets transmitted.

  5. Model input

    Swing transmitted

    1.30 × -9.3 = -12.1

    Only the share of the national swing this state took in the last midterm is transmitted. Elasticity is shrunk halfway toward 1.

  6. Raw data

    2026 early vote

    None reported

    No verified 2026 returned-mail or in-person ballots for this state in the October 7 file. Nothing was imputed. Day-1 early vote is a signal, not a statewide margin. Applications and ballots that were only sent are not in this count. A day-1 pace gap is not a statewide margin.

  7. Model input

    History block

    R−D 6.6

    Weights 2018 40 / 2024 35 / 2020 20 / 2022 5. 2020 and 2022 results for this office are included in every state that had those races, including blowouts. A 2022 election is weighted ahead of 2018. If that office was not on the ballot, the 2020 result for the same office fills the year. Another office is not used. 2018 R+54.5 w40, 2024 R+58.0 w35, 2020 R+57.8 w20, 2022 from 2020 R+57.8 w5. This is the last result for the office, not the presidential margin. A 2024 county map is not copied forward unchanged. A 2018 model error is not used.

  8. Model input

    Electorate block

    R−D -0.9

    History reweighted by usual midterm turnout, plus half of the transmitted swing. Rural and presidential-only counties still move farther when the result is spread back to counties. The 2026 early-vote count is not inside this margin.

  9. Model input

    Turnout block

    R−D 3.1

    Each county is weighted by its 2018 ballots divided by its 2024 presidential ballots. Small counties shrink halfway toward the state median. 2020 mail shares are not used. No verified 2026 returned-mail or in-person ballots for this state in the October 7 file. Nothing was imputed. Day-1 early vote is a signal, not a statewide margin.

  10. Model input

    National environment

    R−D -3.7

    History plus the full transmitted swing from the 60/40 national block.

  11. Model input

    State environment

    R−D 0.6

    History plus 45% of the transmitted swing.

  12. Model input

    State partisan lean

    R−D 13.7

    The 2024 presidential margin of this state, or of this district for a House race. It is heavier than the old state-environment block and is not shrunk toward the polling term.

  13. Model input

    Trump popularity

    R−D -5.0

    New York Times approval average, October 7, 2026: 37% approve, 60% disapprove. Net approval -23. That is not a vote share. Four-tenths of the net is a margin, then scaled by this place's partisan lean (factor 0.54), so an unpopular president costs more in a Democratic state.

  14. Model input

    Candidate favorability

    R−D 0.0

    Open seat or no incumbent. Favorability is zero.

  15. Model input

    Demographics

    R−D -6.3

    County college, rural, and nonwhite shares from the 2018 election-context file change how much of the swing a county takes. No separate microdata file.

  16. Model input

    Finance

    R−D 4.1

    No sourced spending edge, so the block starts on history. With a poll, it shrinks toward the polling term with the other non-poll blocks.

  17. Model input

    Issues

    R−D 4.1

    No sourced issue score. Same treatment as finance.

  18. Model input

    Polling

    R−D -0.6

    Individual polls -3.2 (80%) and the Wikipedia average -3.3 (20%). Named support R−D -3.4. Allocated support R−D -3.2. Named support does not move. Only the undecided line is split, 53.5% Republican and 46.5% Democratic. That is the 2024 two-party Republican share 56.9 moved halfway to 50 and capped at 60/40. A named third-party vote stays third-party. Banned individual rows excluded: 1. State miss shrunk 40% toward zero: 2.64. Public pollsters: 21. Outliers: 0. Recency half-life 16 days. Sample weight n/(n+350). A registered-voter poll is 0.90. An internal poll, or a poll sponsored by one party, is weighted 0.20, and only when a public poll is also in the race. An internal-only file is dropped. A poll that names both parties is not an internal. A poll more than 8 points from the median of the others is cut in half.

  19. Model input

    Candidate

    R+0.00 reaches the result

    Open seat. No incumbency term. A negative popularity score is not added on top of the office baseline. No overperformance. An open seat, a scandal, or a missing incumbent gets none.

  20. Model input

    Halfway floor

    Not applied

    Not applied. At least three public polls from different pollsters, and none is an outlier.

  21. Model input

    Pooling

    35% of the way from each history block toward the polling term

    Otherwise the shrink is 35%.

  22. Model input

    Prediction market

    66% win probability

    James Talarico 66.3% is a win probability, not a vote share. Republican win probability 33.8 from Kalshi 33.5% Republican; Polymarket 34.0% Republican. A price of 50 is a tie. Each point above 50 is 0.35 margin points, capped at 12, so the raw margin is -5.7. That margin is shrunk 40% toward the pre-market margin 2.1, which leaves -2.6. It enters once, at 5.0%. The polling term is not nudged. Books under $10,000 and primary markets are ignored.

  23. Model input

    State bend

    None

    Not applied.

  24. Model input

    Weights

    polling 20.4% · history 7.4% · candidate 5.6% · electorate 4.7% · national 5.6% · stateEnv 3.7% · turnout 2.8% · demographics 2.8% · finance 1.9% · issues 1.9% · stateLean 16.8% · trump 11.2% · favorability 10.3% · market 5.0%

    History is lighter. State partisan lean, Trump popularity, and candidate favorability are their own terms. A market, when it qualifies, scales every other weight and is not taken out of polling alone.

  25. County-sum margin

    1.9

    This is the sum of the reporting units after each unit moved off its own history. It is not the poll average.

  26. 80% interval

    -4.2 to 8.0

    10th to 90th percentile of 50,000 draws. Poll, national, state, turnout, and candidate error.

  27. 95% interval

    -7.5 to 11.2

    2.5th to 97.5th percentile. Senate and governor state errors in the same state share a correlation of 0.30. The band shown is the marginal interval.

Wikipedia, 2026 United States Senate elections (general-election infobox, checked against the state narrative) www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2024/11/29/john-cornyn-and-ken-paxton-have-been-trading-jabs-as-a-potential-primary-showdown-looms/