With just hours left for the polls to close in the crucial Texas Senate race, things seem to be boiling down to voter turnout in the final moments.
Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico looks set to change that course, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican Ken Paxton, as all polls show the Democrat ahead. No Democrat has won a Senate race from Texas after Lloyd Bentsen’s reelection in 1988.
As early voting indicates a lead for James Talarico, Republican strategists in Texas feel that the only way to turn that around will be to boost voter turnout in the final hours of polling. Most of Texas saw heavy rains in the early hours of voting Tuesday, but by afternoon that had cleared. The GOP is reportedly banking on the turnout in the final hours to close the gap between Talarico and Paxton after early voting indicated a lead for the Democrat. Women voters are also given importance, as Democrats feel they could be crucial to the outcomes, especially women living in the suburbs. Analysts point out that the polling in Tarrant County could be critical to the outcome of the high-profile Texas Senate race. The Democrats had alleged that it was a ploy to make it harder for voters to cast their ballots.
More than 7 million votes have already been cast in the Texas Senate race in advance as polls opened Tuesday. Around 3 million voters are expected to cast their ballots on election day. The Decision Day HQ said on Monday that James Talarico has a 61% chance of being elected to the US Senate, flipping the 38-year-old state record. The county, notably, saw the closure of 92 polling locations, raising questions about voters’ access.
Speaking to CNN, a top Republican strategist said that the strategy for the Republicans in the final hours is akin to a “math problem. The counter strategy of the Democratic Party and Talarico is focusing on their last-minute push in counties that have a significant Latino population, according to CNN.
Tarrant County has historically been Republican, but amid the favorable current for Talarico in Texas, it could become the site where the seat flips, CNN reports.
