Texas Senate contest tightens as early voting nears 50 million nationwide

Texas was not expected to be a focal point of this year's midterm elections, but the closing days of the campaign have turned the state into a competitive Senate contest.

Republican Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, is facing Democrat James Talarico, a state lawmaker, for the seat. Paxton defeated Republican Sen. John Cornyn earlier this year in the primary with Trump's support. In a Fort Worth appearance on Saturday morning, Paxton told supporters the contest will "go down to the wire" and said, "The left in this country keeps getting more and more radical." He also framed the vote as a choice about rejecting "every dangerous idea that Democrats across the country are putting forward right now." Talarico was scheduled to campaign in Houston later Saturday.

Paxton has centered his closing argument on casting Talarico as aligned with figures such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "I'm not exaggerating when I say, if we lose Texas, we lose America," Paxton said. He also asked Republicans to match the early voting participation that Democrats have generated and said, "Pray for our Texas."

Across the country, early voting totals were approaching 50 million heading into the weekend. Trump spent Saturday at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was scheduled to join six tele-rallies by phone. The White House released few details on those events. Trump held rallies across the country during October, including states he carried in each of his three campaigns. Rallies in Iowa and Kansas scheduled for Sunday had been pulled down and then rescheduled.

Jeffries campaigned Saturday in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District with former Rep. Elaine Luria, who is running again against Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans. Luria lost the seat to Kiggans four years ago. Jeffries said he would pursue votes on reversing Republican healthcare cuts, on voting rights legislation and on limiting Trump's military actions in Iran. He also said that if Democrats take the House majority, "one of the first things we are going to do is run Pete Hegseth out of town," referring to Trump's Pentagon chief.

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and former primary rival Haley Stevens were expected to appear with Rep. James Clyburn on Sunday, though that plan is uncertain. After Stevens renewed criticism of El-Sayed, his campaign is no longer inviting her to events, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters. Antjuan Seawright, an adviser for Clyburn, said the congressman still planned to invite both to a church service Sunday morning. Stevens has asked El-Sayed to condemn an ad linking U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices and to address concerns about past remarks that have worried some Jewish voters.