Clear Lake area voters head to the polls for one of the most competitive Texas U.S. Senate races in decades, with Democrat James Talarico facing Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown on Nov. 3.

Early voting is already underway in both Harris and Galveston counties. Galveston County residents in Friendswood can vote early at Village on the Park, 400 E. Parkwood Drive, or First Baptist Friendswood, 209 S. Friendswood Drive, according to Community Impact. Harris County has more than 70 early voting centers open through Oct. 30, with hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, KPRC reported.

Harris County shattered its first-day early voting record on Oct. 19, when more than 104,600 residents cast ballots, topping the previous midterm mark of 63,188 set in 2018, Houston Public Media reported.

A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll published Oct. 18 showed Talarico at 48% among likely voters and Paxton at 46%, with Brown at 3%, according to Houston Public Media. The poll's 2% margin of error makes the result a statistical dead heat.

Mark Jones of Rice University's Baker Institute, who coauthored the report, said 60% of independents plan to vote for Talarico compared to 32% for Paxton. Only 88% of likely Republican voters said they plan to back Paxton, while 6% of Republicans said they would cross over for Talarico.

Both candidates made Houston-area campaign stops the week of Oct. 19. Talarico brought his "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" tour to the University of Houston and Richmond as part of a swing that also included Fort Worth, KPRC reported.

Talarico, 36, is a state representative from Austin now in his fourth term. A former San Antonio middle school teacher, he won his Texas House seat in 2018 by flipping a district then-President Donald Trump had carried two years earlier, according to Houston Public Media. He has raised $68.6 million this cycle, according to News from the States.

His campaign website lists lowering property taxes, fixing the power grid and restoring abortion rights among his priorities. As a type 1 diabetic, he passed legislation capping insulin copays in Texas at $25 a month, according to his Texas House biography.

Paxton, the sitting Texas attorney general, defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a May 26 Republican primary runoff. He did not respond to a News from the States issues questionnaire, that outlet reported.

Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.