“With polls showing a tight U.S. Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, we decided to see how this year matched up against 2018, the last time a Texas statewide election came down to the wire,” Axios reports.

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune and GOP Whip John Barrasso are preparing to hit the campaign trail in October,” Politico reports.

“Thune is planning to swing through a number of states starting with North Carolina this week…He said he’ll also go to South Carolina, Florida, twice to Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Michigan, among others, as Republicans fight to keep control of the Senate in an increasingly difficult political environment for their party.”

“Barrasso, meanwhile, will travel to Ohio, Montana, Kansas and Kentucky next month… Barrasso has already been on the campaign trail in Iowa, Texas and South Carolina.”

“Top national Democrats are preparing to make an initial investment in the Texas Senate race, a strategic shift that speaks to the party’s growing confidence in a state that has dashed its hopes for decades,” the New York Times reports.

“The main super PAC for Senate Democrats, Senate Majority PAC, said on Tuesday that it would begin an advertising effort meant to help James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, by targeting his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.”

“The super PAC, which is aligned with Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, had so far resisted spending money in Texas, viewing the party’s path to a majority as running through smaller states where advertising is cheaper.”