Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett lead their respective U.S. Senate primary contests, according to polling released Monday.
Early voting begins Feb. 17.
The Texas Tribune reported that among likely Republican primary voters, Paxton leads incumbent Sen. John Cornyn by 7 percentage points.
A similar survey of likely Democrat primary voters shows Crockett ahead of state Rep. James Talarico by 8 percentage points.
In both races, 12% of respondents remain undecided, marking a shift from recent polls that showed tighter competition.
In hypothetical general election matchups, the survey indicates limited separation between potential Republican and Democrat nominees.
Results suggest Paxton and Cornyn could each defeat Crockett by 2 percentage points, and Paxton could perform slightly better than Cornyn against Talarico.
Between 7% and 8% of likely voters reported being unsure how they would vote in those scenarios.
The Republican primary sample shows Paxton drawing 38% support compared with Cornyn's 31%, with Rep. Wesley Hunt at 17%.
The survey also indicates Paxton would maintain an advantage in a runoff and leads Cornyn across most demographic groups, except among Latino voters, where Cornyn holds a 7-percentage-point edge.
On the Democrat side, Crockett receives 47% support among likely primary voters compared with 39% for Talarico.
She leads in most demographic groups except among white voters and those with advanced degrees.
The survey shows 46% of likely Latino primary voters backing Crockett and 37% supporting Talarico, with 15% remaining unsure. Earlier polling had shown Talarico ahead with that group.
Overall familiarity levels differ between the candidates, with 92% of respondents saying they know enough about Crockett to form an opinion compared with 85% for Talarico.
The survey also sampled 1,502 likely general election voters and found opinions on President Donald Trump's performance evenly divided, with 49% approving and 50% disapproving.
At least 50% of respondents said they disapproved of his handling of foreign policy, the economy, international trade, and the cost of living, while 51% approved of his approach to immigration and border security, compared with 47% who disapproved.
The Senate election poll was conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 31 among 550 likely Republican voters and 550 likely Democrat voters. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.18 percentage points.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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