President Donald Trump brought Secretary of State Marco Rubio onto the campaign trail in Texas on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in a rare joint appearance aimed at one race: the U.S. Senate contest between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico. With Election Day on November 3 just six days away, the message from the rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock was blunt — Republicans are treating a seat they have held for decades as a fight they still have to win.
The short answer is this: polls show the Texas Senate race essentially tied, within the margin of error. That is why Trump has now visited Texas three times in about a month, why Rubio — who normally stays off the domestic campaign trail — appeared on stage, and why both candidates were holding duelling events in West Texas on the same night.
What happened in Texas on Tuesday
Trump spoke in Corpus Christi in the afternoon and in Lubbock in the evening, according to reports from the Texas Newsroom, USA Today and other outlets covering the swing. In Corpus Christi, he called Rubio to the podium as the crowd chanted Rubio’s name. “He’s so popular,” Trump said, according to AFP reporting. Rubio replied that it was an honour to serve, telling the crowd, “We love you, Texas.”
A State Department official said Rubio travelled with Trump in his capacity as national security adviser, a second job he holds alongside secretary of state — the first person to hold both posts since Henry Kissinger. The official said travelling together gives Rubio time to brief the president while he is on the move. Rubio, who ran for president in 2016, has not said whether he will run again in 2028, and Trump has not endorsed a successor.
Why this race is so close
Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in 32 years, and it has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1988. That history is exactly why the current polling is striking. An October Emerson College/Nexstar poll put Talarico at 48 percent and Paxton at 46 percent. A Fox News poll found the two tied at 49 percent among likely voters. A Rasmussen survey also found a tie. Different polls, different methods — but the same conclusion: no clear leader.
Analysts quoted in Texas coverage point to two factors. First, Paxton, the state’s attorney general, has not generated the same enthusiasm as Trump himself, and his ethical and legal history has drawn scrutiny. Second, the cost of living — including petrol prices, which AAA put at an average of $4.26 a gallon on Tuesday — is the dominant issue of the midterms, and about 7 in 10 Americans say gas is unaffordable, according to ABC News reporting cited in coverage of the rallies.
Talarico was campaigning in Lubbock the same evening, setting up a split-screen night. Trump predicted Talarico’s crowd would be “swamped” by his own, telling reporters before leaving Washington: “You know a midterm is usually not that exciting. This has become very exciting and the crowds are incredible.”
What the race decides
The Texas result could help decide which party controls the Senate for the final two years of Trump’s term — and therefore whether the president can advance his agenda. Vice President JD Vance is due in Weatherford, Texas, on Thursday, another sign that Republicans are pouring top names into the state in the final week.
Key takeaways
- Trump campaigned in Corpus Christi and Lubbock on Tuesday, October 27, with Rubio joining him on stage in Corpus Christi.
- The race: Republican Ken Paxton vs. Democrat James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas.
- Polling: Emerson put Talarico ahead 48-46; Fox News and Rasmussen found ties — all within the margin of error.
- History at stake: Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide in 32 years, or a Democratic senator since 1988.
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 — six days from today.
Bottom line: In a state Republicans usually win comfortably, the president and his secretary of state spent a full day campaigning for a Senate candidate in a dead heat. That, more than any single speech, tells you how tight this race has become.
