In a city that hasn’t seen a presidential visit in 34 years, two massive rallies on the same day highlighted how close the 2026 Texas Senate contest has become.
Key points
- James Talarico currently leads by a narrow margin in internal polling, but the race remains highly competitive.
- President Trump is actively campaigning in Texas, using rallies to boost Ken Paxton and draw national attention to the Senate contest.
- Both candidates accuse each other of corruption, with Talarico targeting Elon Musk’s financial influence and Trump branding Talarico an extremist.
- The race has drawn hundreds of millions in campaign spending, making it the most expensive and closely watched Senate contest in Texas in years.
On Tuesday, Lubbock, Texas – a reliably Republican city of fewer than 300,000 – became the stage for back‑to‑back rallies, one for Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and another for President Donald Trump, who was campaigning for Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate bid.
Talarico’s evening event drew more than 4,000 attendees who lined up for hours. He attacked Paxton as corrupt and a Trump ally, warned of an "affordability crisis" tied to corruption, and even singled out Elon Musk for allegedly trying to buy a senator after spending over $150 million on Paxton’s campaign.
Dueling crowds in a red stronghold
Just three miles away, Trump addressed a crowd at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, handing the microphone to Senator Marco Rubio, who received a strong applause. Trump labeled Talarico an “anti‑gun extremist” and a “Talafreako,” while praising Paxton as the only barrier to a “freak” Democrat taking the seat.
With a week left before the election, Talarico holds a narrow lead in internal polls, a lead he hopes to cement by courting Republican crossover voters. The race has already attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, reflecting its status as the most significant threat to the GOP’s decades‑long grip on Texas’s Senate seat.
High‑stakes spending and polling
Both camps framed the contest as a referendum on corruption and economic hardship, from soaring gas and diesel prices to rural hospital closures. The dueling rallies, massive turnouts, and high‑profile endorsements underscore how the 2026 midterms could reshape Texas politics for the first time in three decades.
Reader questions
Who are the main candidates in the Texas Senate race?
Democratic candidate James Talarico is running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is being supported by President Donald Trump.
Why are the Lubbock rallies significant?
Holding rival rallies in a heavily Republican city demonstrates both parties’ efforts to mobilize voters, attract crossover support, and signal the high stakes of a race that could flip a long‑held GOP seat.
How much money has been spent on the campaign?
The contest has drawn "hundreds of millions of dollars" in spending, according to campaign reports cited by NBC News.
Source: nbcnews.com
