Texas Poll: Harris Drags Allred Down as Democrats’ White Whale Disappears   

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 29, 2024) – Cygnal, one of the nation’s fastest growing and most accurate private polling firms, released the following Texas statewide poll (conducted Oct. 26-28) of 600 likely general election voters.   

“For years, Texas has been the ‘white whale’ for national Democrat donors and operatives—but once again, the Lone Star State will remain red—likely more red than in 2020,” said Pollster, John Rogers. “Don’t expect that to change—in addition to the Rio Grande Valley’s shift to the right, new Texans also favor Cruz, Trump, and the GOP.” 

“Vice President Harris’s Houston rally may have generated headlines and filled her campaign coffers, but it seems unlikely to have swayed any undecided voters to Colin Allred in the US Senate race. Harris’s net image is underwater at -11, with a majority of swing voters holding an unfavorable view of her.”   

Here are the Top Takeaways from Rogers: 

  1. Our survey was conducted Saturday-Monday, beginning a day after Harris’s Houston rally on Friday. Harris is a drag on Allred and down-ballot Democrats, with a -11 net image, an image 14 points worse than Trump’s.  
  1. Allred is losing on his home turf, down 5 percent in the Dallas-Fort Worth media market. 
  1. 54 percent of Texans say either inflation/the economy or illegal immigration is the most important issue in this year’s election. 10 percent say abortion protections are. 
  1. Hispanic voters mirror voters overall, with inflation/the economy and illegal immigration ranking as their top two most important issues.  
  2. The most common source of news for voters under the age of 55 is social media; for voters over the age of 55, it’s cable news.  

Quick Hits: 

Presidential Race: Trump (51%); Harris (43%); undecided (2%). 

Senate Race: R-Ted Cruz (49%); D-Colin Allred (45%); L-Ted Brown (3%); undecided (3%).  

Vote Method: already voted (47%); vote early in-person (35%); vote in-person on Election Day (16%); vote absentee by mail (2%). 

Top Issues: inflation and the economy (28%); illegal immigration and border security (26%); threats to democracy (15%); abortion protections (10%); Social Security and Medicare (6%). 

Congressional Ballot: Republican candidate (52%); Democratic candidate (43%); unsure (5%). 

Gov. Abbott Image: favorable (49%); unfavorable (48%). 

Sen. Cornyn Image: unfavorable (31%); favorable (28%); never heard of (22%); no opinion (18%).