Talarico, Abbott lead races in new statewide poll - nbcdfw.com

The same poll has Republican Gov. Greg Abbott holding a wider lead over Democrat State Rep. Gina Hinojosa in the governor's race. Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy conducted the survey by phone from September 8 to September 10, interviewing 625 registered Texas voters who said they plan to cast a ballot. Less than two months separate Texans from Election Day, and both statewide races now have numbers attached to them for the first time in a while.

Economic concerns are driving the electorate, according to the poll. Of those surveyed, 24 percent named the economy and jobs as the biggest factor in their vote, while 23 percent pointed to inflation and the cost of living. Those two issues combined account for nearly half the electorate's stated priorities, ahead of anything else measured in the poll.

For voters in Lubbock and across West Texas, the numbers offer an early read on where these races stand heading into the fall. A Senate contest with a Democrat leading a sitting attorney general in a statewide Texas poll is not something that happens often.