Texans vote for a new U.S. senator on Tuesday. KPRC's ENOUGH team said it has asked voters for months what matters most to them, and said property taxes, education, affordability and immigration have come up often. The team said it tried by phone, email, campaign website forms and certified mail to schedule interviews with State Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Rep. James Talarico since July. Talarico answered a few questions after a campaign rally. KPRC said Paxton was not made available to answer questions despite multiple attempts.
A University of Houston Hobby School survey of likely voters, conducted Oct. 10 to 14, found Talarico at 48% and Paxton at 46%. On affordability, Talarico told KPRC he would seek bipartisan support in the Senate and linked the issue to campaign finance changes, congressional stock trading and other reforms. KPRC said it used remarks from Paxton's campaign appearances to outline his approach to affordability and the economy.
Talarico was also asked about super PACs supporting his campaign after he criticized billionaire spending that benefited Paxton. He acknowledged outside groups support his campaign, but said candidates cannot legally control or coordinate with those groups. He said he would support banning super PACs if elected. On data centers, Paxton has said he supports continued development with conditions on power generation, water use and facility location.