Sens. Ted Cruz and Deb Fischer hold narrow leads over Democratic and independent challengers in the Texas and Nebraska U.S. Senate races, a new poll finds.
A New York Times/Siena College poll of 1,180 likely Texas voters found Mr. Cruz leading Democrat Colin Allred 50-46%. Allred, a current congressman and former NFL player, endorsed Vice President Harris at a rally in Houston last Friday.
In Nebraska, Republican Deb Fischer leads independent opponent Dan Osborn 48 to 46 percent, with 5 percent of 1,194 people eligible to vote either undecided or refusing to answer. The respondents answered that they are.
Both the Texas and Nebraska polls were conducted by telephone from Oct. 23 to 26 and have a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
Republican McConnell descends on Nebraska to defend Deb Fischer's endangered Senate seat
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) are in a close race for the Senate seat.
Cruz last challenged for a Texas Senate seat in 2018, defeating Democrat Beto O'Rourke with 3% of the vote.
In this race, polls show Allred ahead of Harris among likely voters.
According to the New York Times, Ms. Harris' approval rating among Texans was 42%, compared to 46% for Ms. Allred.
According to the paper, Ms. Allred leads Ms. Harris among black voters, 71% to 76%, and among Hispanic voters, 56% to 50%.
Schumer-linked group scores millions against Ted Cruz as Democrats look to gain opportunity in Texas
Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred reacts at Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign rally in Houston, Texas, on October 25th. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
The New York Times reported that in the Nebraska election, Mr. Osborne, a labor leader and mechanic, led Mr. Fisher among independent voters by 31 percentage points, while Ms. Harris held a 31% lead among independent voters in Nebraska. He added that he has a 10 percentage point lead over Trump.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which works with Mitch McConnell, recently launched a $3 million ad buy in the state to shore up support for Mr. Fisher.
In addition, Mr. Fisher has received support from Sen. Chuck Grassley, a prominent Republican 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.”
Dan Osborne, an independent challenger to two-term Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, chats with guests at a brewery in Beatrice, Nebraska, on July 30. (AP/Margery Beck)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Osborne's popularity in Nebraska appears to have caught Fisher's campaign by surprise, given what appears to be a last-ditch effort to shore up her support. It is often difficult for independent candidates to gain support, especially against incumbents. But with no Democratic nominee in that Senate race, Osborn has a much larger pool of potential voters.
FOX News' Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
