United States Senator
November 3, 2026 · Texas · Statewide · general
How do we calculate vote impact?
Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).
Representation: Low · 6 out of 100
This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 30,188,424 people live here.
score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(39,287,377 ÷ 30,188,424) ÷ ln(39,287,377 ÷ 582,397) = 6.26, comparing all statewide districts nationwide (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No past results for this contest yet.
Low representation + unknown decisiveness → Below average vote impact.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
United States Senator is responsible for:
- Voting on federal laws, taxes, and the federal budget
- Approving or rejecting the president's nominees for judges and top officials
- Voting on whether to approve treaties with other countries
- Helping people in the state deal with federal agencies
Affected Areas: Environment and Public Health, Reduce Wealth Gap, Anti-Corruption, Government Efficiency, Healthcare Affordability, Immigration, Government Spending Reduction, Social Programs and Welfare, Gun Control, Women's Reproductive Rights, National Defense, Personal Income Tax Reduction, Foreign Trade, Data Privacy, Civil Rights, Corporate Accountability, Public Infrastructure, Peaceful Foreign Policy
Candidates
James Talarico
Democratic · declared
James Talarico is the 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, a state representative from the Austin area since 2019 and a former public-school teacher and seminary student known for viral education- and faith-themed floor speeches. He won the May 2026 Democratic Senate primary and faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in November.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, Healthcare Affordability 2 for, Social Programs and Welfare 1 for
Ken Paxton
Republican · declared
Ken Paxton is the 2026 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, currently serving as Texas Attorney General since 2015. Previously he served in the Texas House (2003-2013) and Texas Senate (2013-2015). As AG he built a record of litigation against federal Democratic administrations and was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 on corruption allegations before being acquitted by the Texas Senate. With a Trump endorsement, he defeated four-term incumbent John Cornyn in the May 2026 Republican primary runoff (63.8%) and faces Democrat James Talarico in November.
Records: Anti-Corruption 1 against, Civil Rights 1 against, Data Privacy 1 for
Election sources
Source: sos.state.tx.us
Source: sos.state.tx.us