Austin, TX
Heading into 2026, polling shows close primary races in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — With just 70 days to go until the Texas primary election date, major races across the state are ramping up with competitive poll numbers.
Recent polling shows races within just single digits for the high-profile Senate nomination races in both parties. The primary is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3.
The Democratic field, made up of U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Texas State Rep. James Talarico, is proving to be a close race after a shakeup earlier this month.
Polling from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy and Survey Center at Texas Southern University shows Crockett leading with 51% and Talarico with 43% among likely Democratic primary voters.
On the other side of the aisle, Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn’s race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is proving to be a three-way race, with U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt gaining traction in recent polls.
A Dec. 4 poll by J.L. Partners shows Paxton leading with 29%, just a few points ahead of Cornyn and Hunt at 24%. Still, 23% of likely Republican primary voters surveyed were undecided.
“I think we’re clearly in a three-way race now for the Republican Senate,” said Mark P. Jones, political science professor at Rice University.
The other big races that are an uphill battle for lesser-known democrats. The latest polling from the Barbara Jordan Center focused in on the Democratic races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The polling shows Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa is leading the Democratic field for the gubernatorial race with 41%. Her biggest challenger, however, is voters who are still unsure—making up 42% of those polled.
Jones explained the lack of name recognition in much of the Democratic state primary races.
“Whoever the Democratic nominee is for U.S. Senate can count on tens of millions of dollars coming in from outside of the state to support their candidacy. That simply isn’t going to happen for, say, someone like Gina Hinojosa running for governor, or Vikki Goodwin running for lieutenant governor,” he said.
43% of voters surveyed said they don’t know enough about Hinojosa. 81% said they don’t know enough about Goodwin.
“Even the best known candidates generally are only known by about a third of Democratic primary voters,” Jones said.
That presents a major challenge, with just 70 days and counting until the March primary.
If in any of these races, a candidate does not reach the 50 percent threshold, a runoff primary election will happen at the end of May.
AUSTIN, Texas — A man walking his dog with his son was fatally shot by a neighbor Friday evening in Northwest Austin, police said.
Billy Carlisle, 41, was shot at the intersection of Gardenridge Hollow and Wallace Drive at approximately 6:06 p.m. May 8. Austin-Travis County EMS attempted lifesaving measures, but Carlisle was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m.
Hunter Buchmeyer, 36, was taken into custody in connection with the shooting.
According to APD, Carlisle was walking his dog with his son when he and Buchmeyer, also walking his dog, got into a verbal altercation. The two neighbors had “prior history,” APD said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | APD investigating deadly shooting in NW Austin; suspect in custody
The dispute escalated to the point that Buchmeyer called 911 to report the altercation before shooting Carlisle. According to police, Buchmeyer yelled at someone to “get back” before the call disconnected.
Buchmeyer remained at the scene and attempted CPR on Carlisle before officers arrived.
No charges have been filed. APD said the investigation remains open.
The case is being investigated as Austin’s 23rd homicide of 2026.
Anyone with information is asked to contact APD at 512-974-TIPS or submit an anonymous tip through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at austincrimestoppers.org or 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to an arrest.
There was a significant reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2025, according to a national Jewish advocacy group.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 26 antisemitic incidents in the state last year. That’s down from the 52 incidents counted by the group in 2024.
Samantha Joseph, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a big reason for the reduction is a steep decline in antisemitism on college campuses.
“It shows that campus administrators are taking their responsibilities very seriously to provide a safe environment for all of their students,” said Joseph.
Brown University had over $500 million in federal funding frozen by the Trump administration last year following investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The funding was restored after Brown reached a settlement with the administration.
The reduction in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island reflects a wider trend in New England as a whole. According to the ADL’s report, there were 400 antisemitic incidents in the region in 2025, compared to 638 the previous year.
While she’s pleased about the overall drop in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island, Joseph says a number of concerning trends continue to persist. In particular, the state is still seeing more anti-Jewish incidents than it did prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel that launched the Gaza War in 2023.
Joseph is also concerned about the violent nature of local incidents of antisemitism.
“Even though overall incidents are down, assaults are up and assaults with a deadly weapon are up significantly,” said Joseph. “Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe thunderstorms are possible Sunday evening as a cold front arrives in Central Texas. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team will keep you updated on the weather coverage.
Risks to be aware of are damaging wind gusts that could reach as high as 60 to 75 mph and large hail up to quarter size.
Weather Resources:
Live Updates:
5:22 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued for all counties except for Milam County.
3:51 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Mason, San Saba, and Lampasas County until 9:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.: The primary risk for Sunday’s severe weather is damaging wind gusts which could cause power outages.
3:26 p.m.: Storms will likely move toward the I-35 corridor around 6 p.m. Most of the storms will enter the Hill Country around 6 p.m. and the Austin metro counties after 8 p.m.
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