Texas Senate Rivals Clash Over Identity

What happened

Updated Nov 1, 11:01am ET

Ken Paxton and James Talarico offered competing visions of Texas identity in their Senate race. Paxton’s campaign appeared to drop a planned final rally at the Alamo and instead scheduled events in Conroe and Allen. His campaign did not explain the change, and the Alamo Trust said it knew of no event plans while the landmark generally bars political events. Republican Paxton and Democratic state Rep. Talarico entered the final days in a close race that could help decide control of Congress. Talarico accused Paxton of corruption, while Paxton cast Talarico as too liberal for Texas. More than 6.7 million Texans voted early. The race will be decided Tuesday, Nov. 3.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets framed the race as a fight over authentic Texas identity, voter frustration with Trump loyalists, and rival character attacks. The New York Times emphasized Texas culture as the battleground for both candidates’ claims to belonging. PBS NewsHour treated the race as a measure of frustration with Trump’s leadership and allies.

How the right told it

Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: Breitbart News, under the headline “Report: Talarico Internal Polls Show Tighter Texas Senate Race”.