A wave of recent polls indicates that Democrats are gaining ground in both the U.S. Senate race and the Texas governor's race, transforming a traditionally Republican stronghold into a battleground ahead of the November midterm elections.

On Friday, the nonpartisan Texas Pulse initiative, co-led by the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service, released its latest survey. It found Democratic nominee James Talarico leading the Senate race by four points, with 47% support, while Republican rival Ken Paxton trailed at 43%.

Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative, has centered his campaign on cost-of-living and economic issues, proposing to raise the federal minimum wage. He also recently unveiled a plan to end tax breaks for tech companies building data centers.

Paxton, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the May primary. However, his career has been marred by corruption scandals, including abuse-of-office allegations and an impeachment that did not lead to removal.

The gubernatorial race is also tightening, with Democrat Gina Hinojosa narrowing Republican incumbent Greg Abbott's lead to just one point (46% to 45%), according to Friday's Texas Pulse poll.

Experts attribute Talarico's momentum to a focused campaign message. Evan Roth Smith, lead pollster for Texas Public Opinion Research, told Al Jazeera: "Talarico is up because he's running the race every Democrat in this country should be running. When they go on TV, podcasts and talk to reporters, they should focus on affordability. If we can win on affordability, we can win elections."

Source: www.aljazeera.com