Talarico holds slight lead in Texas Senate race poll

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has a slight lead over his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, according to a new poll.

In the NBC 5 Dallas/Telemundo Station Group poll , 46 percent of registered voter respondents backed Talarico, while 43 percent backed the Texas attorney general. Three percent backed a Libertarian candidate and 8 percent were unsure of their choice.

The Senate race in Texas has captured the nation’s attention as Democrats look to pick up a seat in a state that has been a challenge for them for years.

While Democrats usually have an uphill battle in the Lone Star State, Paxton comes with notable baggage. The Texas attorney general has been dogged by scandal, previously facing impeachment in the Texas state House on corruption charges before being acquitted in the state Senate.

The nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report has rated the Texas race for the upper chamber as a “toss up.”

According to a Federal Election Commission filing published over the weekend, President Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., put an extra $5 million into the Texas Senate race. The money was earmarked for a Virginia political media company, Del Ray Media LLC, for TV and digital advertising targeting Talarico.

Paxton’s campaign has also received close to $54 million from the Republican-aligned Senate Leadership Fund’s Texas affiliate.

The NBC 5 Dallas/Telemundo Station Group poll took place Sept. 8-10 among 625 registered voters in Texas and had 4 percentage points as its margin of error.