With millions of Texans already voting, a new poll shows Republicans still ahead in most statewide races, though not by much.
At the top of the ticket, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by 3 percentage points, 50% to 47%, in a new Texas Southern University poll released Oct. 29.
The poll is among recent polls showing a tight race, as Abbott won his last reelection —against Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke — by 11 points in 2022. Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since Ann Richards in 1990.
Here’s a closer look at the governor’s race and other statewide races.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott holds his Get Out The Vote rally at Betty Rose’s Little Brisket in Abilene in this still taken from video Monday Oct. 26, 2026.
Greg Abbott leads Gina Hinojosa in the Texas governor’s race
The poll surveyed 2,000 likely voters Oct. 21-25 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.19 percentage points.
The poll found that 48% of likely voters view Abbott favorably and 51% unfavorably, while 45% view Hinojosa favorably and 49% unfavorably, with 6% not knowing enough about her to have an opinion.
Few voters plan to split their tickets. Among likely voters backing Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, 99% intend to vote for Abbott and 1% for Dixon. Among Abbott voters, 95% intend to vote for Paxton, 2% for Democrat James Talarico and 2% for Brown.
On the Democratic side, 95% of Talarico voters intend to vote for Hinojosa and 3% for Abbott and 1% for Dixon, while 99% of Hinojosa voters intend to vote for Talarico and 1% for Brown.
Republicans lead in most down-ballot Texas races
The Texas Southern University also looked at how other candidates in other statewide offices are faring:
Lieutenant Governor: Dan Patrick* (R) 49%, Vikki Goodwin (D) 45%
Attorney General: Mayes Middleton (R) 49%, Nathan Johnson (D) 45%
Comptroller: Don Huffines (R) 50%, Sarah Eckhardt (D) 44%
Land Commissioner: Dawn Buckingham* (R) 50%, Benjamin Flores (D) 44%
Agriculture Commissioner: Nate Sheets (R) 48%, Clayton Tucker (D) 44%
Railroad Commissioner: Bo French (R) 47%, Jon Rosenthal (D) 46%
* Incumbent.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas, based in Austin. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas statewide races tighten as new poll shows slim GOP margins