2026 Election: Prepping for Texas Senate results

All right. But the big race here in Texas, right, is the Senate race. And we are in the midst of the most expensive Senate race in history, not just here in Texas, across the country. We've got Ken Paxton, James Tallarico, lots of money behind each of those candidates, but it's going to come down to you, the voter, making that final decision. We've got team coverage for you on that front. Karis Belger with Ken Paxton and his campaign. Isaiah Carey following Tallarico's campaign. We'll start with Isaiah. Well, Anthony, we are here in Austin, just in the shadow of downtown Austin at the Long Center where James Tallarico will hold his watch party tonight. Now, as you said, this is one of the most expensive. Races in the country, over half billion dollars spent. Now, Tallarico has been able to raise on his own more than $150 million, while Ken Paxton has raised just over $20 million. And of course, a lot is hanging in the balance. This is one of those battleground states, one of seven that they're watching all across the country, which could impact the balance of power in Congress. And of course, This seat was once held by John Cornyn who was defeated by Ken Paxton and of course President Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton and now he is going head to head with James Tallarico and James Tallarico according to the most recent New York Times poll is. Leading him by at least seven points in all other polls where we've taken a look at this race by about five points. But he's expected here at the Long Center after seven o'clock, after the polls close. And of course, last night, he participated in a rally, a concert to get the voters out here in Austin. But he's been secluded so far for most of the day. But we're expecting him here at the Long Center in Austin just after seven o'clock tonight. In Austin, Isaiah Carey, Fox 26 News. And of course, now we go to Karras, who is in Dallas with Ken Paxton, who is running in this race. We're over here to the right. Yeah, Isaiah, just within the last half hour, they allowed press to get into this room. Behind me is where everything will be happening as we await the results of this election. We do anticipate hearing from Paxton at some point in the night, but it's, as you mentioned, a very tightly watched race. And the most recent poll does have Salarigo ahead of him by about seven points. But Paxton's push for this new role to be in the Senate is based on what he says is his years of public service. He represented Texas House District 70 from 2003 to 2013. In 2015, he became Attorney General. And during that time, he has taken on quite a bit of ambitious litigation as the top litigator in the state of Texas, addressing things like immigration, environmental rules, federal health policy, even abortion-related education. And these are all the things that he is hoping voters will keep in mind on their way into the polls. Obviously, we are anticipating them to close at seven, but he's hoping that the people who go in think about all he has done for the state in the meantime. Now, I do wanna mention, I have been speaking with voters over the last few weeks. I've been to polling sites all over Southeast Texas, and a lot of people are talking to me about affordability. That is the big thing that they are worried about. People saying gas is expensive, groceries are high, and it's hard for them to provide for their families. And a lot of people are saying to me like, hey, I want a candidate who's going to advocate for me. And make it so I can afford to take care of my family. And that issue has been pretty high at the top of mind of voters, more so even than public safety, which is typically the leading issue. So we're going to continue to stay here. We're going to bring you the latest updates as we have them. And of course, once we start getting those results, we'll keep you updated. In Dallas, I'm Karis Belger. Back to you, Anthony. Okay. Karis and Isaiah, thank you so much. So that really set the table for us to get an understanding of this Senate race here in Texas between Tallarico and Ken Paxton. We want to take a look at the Because today's midterm elections will impact two chambers and then that can really shift how policy moves forward here because obviously President Donald Trump, a Republican, if Democrats are able to win one or both chambers, that can certainly have an impact. You want to speak now to Shannon Bream, the host of Fox News Sunday, because you're going to be very busy here today, Shannon. Thank you so much for joining us. We want to talk about the balance of power. First, I want to focus on the House, right? We have all 435 seats up for grabs here. And there was some off-cycle redistricting. Do you think the Republican Party will get the yield they're looking for here to maintain control of that chamber? Well, Anthony, that is a great question. And I think they're even doubting that because just of the winds that are blowing here with the Iran conflict and gas prices and so many things that people find so frustrating, as your reporters just pointed out, all of that is cooking into this stew that is probably not going to be good for Republicans tonight. Our latest Fox News polling and Fox News power ranking shows that it's almost certain that Democrats will take the House tonight. How they get there and how many seats they have in their majority, still don't know While the speaker is out there saying, listen, I think that we're going to defy all the odds, all the prognostication, all the polls, he is predicting an upset, meaning Republicans hold the House tonight, the Senate much more of a toss-up. And we've got seven seats we're focusing on there, including that big race you have there in Texas. Okay, let's dive right into this race here in the Senate here in Texas. I mean, Ken Paxton. For some folks and some analysts, they would say he might be a flawed candidate compared to the former incumbent Senator Cornyn here. And if it was Cornyn, it might have been a bit of an easier ride to a victory here in comparison to Paxton. But what do you think has to happen here for Ken Paxton to pull out a win? And where do you think the winds are blowing to support Tallarico if he is in fact to pull out a win here for Democrats? Yeah, I think everything in these midterms is about turnout, which is why you've seen the president come there so many times, repeat visit after repeat visit there to Texas. He sees it still as a MAGA, as a red state that's been very good to him. But he knows that people can be complacent if there's not a presidential race on the top of the ballot, getting them to turn out, get their friends out, get their neighbors out. I mean, the president's just been hammering that over and over. Our Fox News polling last showed a dead heat in this race. But what it also told us is when we asked people the question about whether Whether they think Republicans or Democrats should control the US Senate, there was an edge there for Republican control. So we'll see if that overrides the hesitation that some voters have there with regard to Ken Paxton. Tallarico was seen as obviously a natural guy. He's exploded onto the national stage. He seems very comfortable there with voters and being out and about in these campaign events. So we'll see how turnout is, who decides to get off the couch and get out there if they haven't already voted today. All right, and to be fair to our viewers, it's not uncommon for if a president is a Republican, it's not uncommon for the House and Senate during that midterm election for it to swing the other way. So just to give you guys context at home, it's not uncommon for this to happen if, in fact, Republicans lose the House. Shannon, I want to follow up here and also talk about some of the power rankings and some of the shifts here, because these races may have been shifting one way or the other, maybe solid Democrat or Republican. Now they're shifting a bit because there's a lot of voter sentiment, enthusiasm either way. So what are we looking at with those rankings? Well, the most recent shifts that we've had are good for Democrats, not great for Republicans. Both the Kansas Senate race and the South Carolina Senate race moved in the direction of Democrats over the weekend. That was one of the final power rankings moves that we had here at Fox. And obviously, both of those seats are places that Democrats would absolutely love to pick up a seat. That could be the balance of power for them in shifting things in the Senate. But again, if they take the Senate and they take the House, the president is still gonna be the president for two years. There's, I predict, a lot of gridlock there. There in Washington, a lot of investigations and possible impeachments against the president, maybe some other cabinet members. It could be what everybody doesn't like about Washington, what they tell us in polls they don't like. What folks at home want to get done is some bipartisanship, things that will make their life more affordable. We'll see whoever's calling the shots if they can find a way to work together. Yeah, it all comes down to those kitchen table issues. Thank you so much, Shannon. It's gonna be a busy night for you, but of course, you'll be tuned in. Good luck. You too, Anthony. Thank you.