New Poll Sounds Alarm for Texas Democrats: Asian Voters Say Talarico Must Do More

Asian Texans are the Margin of Victory, and Survey Shows Texas Democrats Risk Leaving Them on the Sidelines

Houston — The only dedicated constituency-specific polling of Asian Texan voters this election cycle was published this week, and the preliminary polling suggests that AAPI voters in Texas may be the margin of victory in the razor-thin 2026 U.S. Senate race. Asian Americans For Texas Action Fund (AAFTAF) is calling on the Talarico campaign to treat Asian Texans as a core part of its path to victory and to invest early in sustained, multilingual community outreach—or ignore these communities at its own peril.

“This data should be a wake-up call. Talarico represents the future of the Texas Democratic Party, but he can’t afford to take Asian Texans’ votes for granted. The data is finally proving it,” said Nabila Mansoor, executive director of Asian Texans For Justice Action Fund and an AAFTAF board member. “We believe he is the strongest candidate to win the U.S. Senate race. But winning a race that is this close means working with the fast-growing electorate in Texas,  and that’s the Asian American community.”

This survey was conducted in June by Tom K. Wong, an associate professor of political science and founding director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC-San Diego. 

Asian Texans’ are the fastest-growing portion of the electorate. Texas is home to nearly 1.1 million eligible AAPI voters, comprising 5.4% of the state’s electorate, according to the U.S. Census. Asian Texans are also highly-engaged. More than 70% of respondents report high intent to vote, according to Wong’s poll. By comparison, 64% of Latino voters, 50% of Black voters and 63% of white voters reported high intent to vote in the June UT/TPP poll. 

The polling shows that while Talarico does have a 15-point lead with Asian Texans over the Republican nominee in the race, nearly one in three Asian voters are still undecided or outside the two-party choice. Similarly, nearly half of Asian voters know little or nothing about Talarico, and two-thirds say Talarico needs to do more for Asians before earning their vote. Additionally, our communities are almost evenly split as Republicans, Democrats and Independents. 

“We haven’t seen a statewide Texas Democratic candidate with this much energy in a long time. But my excitement is tempered because Asian Texans are being treated as an afterthought instead of a core part of the Democrats’ path to victory,” said Nora Olabi, communications director at Asian Americans For Texas Action Fund. “The data shows that Talarico still has an opportunity to win a significant number of persuadable voters in a decisive electorate. At a time when our politics are so fraught with anti-Asian, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate, he has an opportunity to put forward a vision of a multiracial democracy and engage our communities with the same vigor that he brings to every other part of the electorate.”

According to the poll, Asian voters are focused on kitchen-table concerns. Inflation and the cost of living rank as the top issue, followed by jobs and the economy. More than three-quarters of respondents are concerned about delays in the legal immigration system, an issue that resonates across party lines among Asian Texans.

Asian Americans For Texas Action Fund is calling on Talarico and the Texas Democratic statewide ticket to begin sustained outreach to Asian Texans now—not just in the final weeks of the election. That means investing in trusted community partners, multilingual voter education, translated campaign materials, in-language organizing and culturally competent outreach that reflects the diversity of Asian Texans across the state.

Key Findings

• 42.7% support Talarico, compared with 27.6% for Paxton.

• Nearly 1 in 3 are undecided or support another candidate.

• More than 70% are certain or very likely to vote in November 2026. More than 90% are likely or very likely to vote in November.

• The electorate is nearly evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents. Asian Texans are not a monolith.

• Nearly 48% know little or nothing about Talarico.

• 66.2% say Talarico needs to do more for Asian Texans before earning their vote.

• 76.3% are concerned about delays in the legal immigration system.

• Inflation, the cost of living, jobs and the economy are voters’ leading concerns.

###

Asian Americans For Texas Action Fund builds progressive political power with Asian American and allied communities across Texas through advocacy, voter engagement, electoral organizing, and coalition-building. We mobilize communities to shape elections, advance policies that reflect our shared values, and build a multiracial democracy where every community has the power to thrive.