Sunny Hostin, a co-host of "The View," predicted on Thursday that voters will flip Texas blue in the November U.S. Senate race for the first time in approximately 30 years. The panel discussed the tight contest between Democratic candidate James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, with Hostin expressing confidence in the Democratic candidate's victory.
Hostin cited polling data from September, noting that eight pollsters had Talarico ahead of Paxton by 51 to 45 percent. She highlighted specific demographic advantages in that poll, where Talarico led among women 56 to 40 percent, among voters aged 18 to 29 by 66 to 22 percent, and among Hispanic voters by 62 to 30 percent. "He's going to win this race," Hostin stated.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, another co-host, characterized Talarico's potential edge as a referendum on the administration of President Donald Trump. Griffin described the political climate in the state as a "perfect storm" resulting from frustration with current leadership. While she acknowledged the race could go either direction, she argued that Senator John Cornyn would have been a stronger Republican candidate than Paxton. Paxton secured the Republican nomination in the primary with an endorsement from Trump.
A Fox News poll released in October provided additional context on voter sentiment. The survey found that Talarico holds a net positive personal rating of 8 points among likely Texas voters, with 52 percent viewing him favorably and 44 percent unfavorably. In contrast, Paxton is underwater by 18 points, with 40 percent favorable ratings and 58 percent unfavorable. The poll indicated that Republicans are six times more likely to view Paxton unfavorably (32 percent) than Democrats are to view Talarico unfavorably (5 percent).
In head-to-head matchups among likely voters, Talarico holds a two-point lead over Paxton, 51 to 49 percent. The poll noted that these results are within the margin of sampling error. Voter preferences for Senate control are nearly evenly split, with 49 percent preferring a Democratic Senate and 50 percent favoring a Republican one. A small percentage of voters cross party lines on this issue, with eight percent of self-identified Republicans preferring Democratic control and one percent of Democrats preferring Republican control.
Co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Ana Navarro offered a more cautious perspective, warning against complacency based on polling data. Navarro recalled her fears from the 2016 election, stating that hope alone does not win elections and that voters must convert that hope into actual votes. She cautioned that relying solely on polls without sustained effort is not a viable strategy for achieving change.
The campaign dynamics have included recent events in San Antonio, Texas, where Trump campaigned alongside Paxton on Wednesday. Both men pointed to Talarico's absence from the event. Talarico's campaign explained that he was sick with the flu and expected to return to the campaign trail over the weekend.
The Republican National Committee responded to the "The View" co-hosts' remarks through spokesman Zach Kraft. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kraft dismissed the political commentary from Hostin and Griffin, suggesting that anyone taking their statements seriously would possess an intelligence level qualifying them as a guest host for the show. Paxton's campaign did not immediately return requests for comment from Fox News Digital.