Republican incumbents Cruz, Fischer hold narrow leads in Texas, Nebraska Senate races: polls

New polls have found that Senators Ted Cruz and Deb Fischer are holding narrow leads against Democrat and independent challengers in their respective Texas and Nebraska Senate races. 

The New York Times and Siena College survey of 1,180 likely voters in Texas has Cruz leading Democrat Colin Allred 50 to 46%. Allred, a current House representative and former NFL player, spoke in support of Vice President Harris last Friday at a rally in Houston. 

In Nebraska, Republican Deb Fischer leads her independent opponent Dan Osborn 48 to 46%, with 5% of the 1,194 likely voters polled there indicating that they are undecided or refusing to answer. 

Both the Texas and Nebraska polls were conducted by phone between Oct. 23 to 26 and have a margin of error of around three percentage points. 

MCCONNELL, GOP DESCEND ON NEBRASKA TO SAVE DEB FISCHER’S ENDANGERED SENATE SEAT 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., are engaged in tight races for their Senate seats.

The last time Cruz was challenged for his Senate seat in Texas was in 2018, when he defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by three percent of the vote. 

In this contest, Allred is polling ahead of Harris among likely voters. 

The results show Allred has 46% support from residents of Texas, compared to Harris’ 42%, according to the New York Times. 

Allred is also leading Harris with 76% compared to 71% among Black voters and among Hispanic voters (56 compared to 50%), the newspaper reported. 

SCHUMER-TIED GROUP DROPS MILLIONS AGAINST TED CRUZ AS DEMOCRATS EYE PICKUP OPPORTUNITY IN TEXAS 

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred reacts at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25. (Reuters/Marco Bello)

For the Nebraska race, Osborn – who is a union leader and mechanic – is leading Fischer among independent voters by 31%, the New York Times reported, adding that in that state Harris leads Trump among independent voters by 10%.

The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund has recently launched a $3 million ad buy in the state to shore up Fischer’s support. 

Additionally, Fischer is getting help from well-known top Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley from neighboring Iowa. In a new radio ad, he tells voters, “This is your neighbor Chuck Grassley,” adding, “my friend Deb Fischer needs your vote.” 

Independent Dan Osborn, a challenger to two-term Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, chats with guests at a brewery in Beatrice, Neb., on July 30. (AP/Margery Beck)

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Osborn’s popularity in Nebraska has appeared to take the Fischer campaign by surprise, given the seeming last-minute efforts to fortify her support. It is often difficult for independent candidates to gain traction, especially against an incumbent. However, without a Democratic candidate nominated in that Senate race, Osborn has a much larger pool of potential voters. 

Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.