Texas Senate race attack ads
The gist
Texas Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton 51% to 49% with early voting halfway done.
AI-generated attack ads now dominate the race, and most carry no disclosure.
How it unfolded
- Oct 24, 2026The Washington Post reports Republicans are embracing AI-generated videos in the 2026 midterm ad wars while Democrats bet they will backfire; a Talarico ad shows him walking past TVs airing Republican AI attack ads portraying him as a Bible-defacing radical.
- Oct 25, 2026A CBS News poll shows Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 49%, within the margin of error; the RealClearPolitics average gives Talarico a 1.8-point lead as early voting passes the halfway mark.
- Oct 26, 2026NewsNation reports AI is taking center stage in the race; a Paxton campaign AI video shows a fictionalized Talarico making controversial statements about Christianity and gender and defacing a Bible. The Wesleyan Media Project finds AI ad spending jumped from under $50,000 in 2024 to more than $137 million this year, 81% from Republicans.