Can James Talarico turn Texas blue in the Senate race against Ken Paxton?

Izzy calls the Texas Senate race the most closely watched of the midterms, with polls neck and neck in a state that has not elected a Democrat statewide in 30 years, and declines to predict it. Alastair Campbell says Elon Musk has put about $158 million behind Ken Paxton, and that James Talarico turns that money into an anti-corruption message.

• Izzy heard that 2024 ballots were bluer further down the ticket, hinting at split results.
• Alastair Campbell praises Talarico's ads as positive, polished and well filmed.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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