Based on latest polls, the U.S. Senate race between Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic seminarian state Rep. James Talarico is shaping up to be a revealing look at voter priorities ahead of the November midterm elections.

Paxton won his primary against Sen. John Cornyn in a blowout in May.

But in the general election, Paxton appears to have met his match: The RealClearPolitics average has Talarico slightly ahead of the attorney general. A recent Texas Southern University poll put the Democratic state lawmaker up by 47%-45%. In others, he's tied or marginally behind.

Either way, Talarico is enjoying a larger lead than Democrat Beto O'Rourke was when Republican Sen. Ted Cruz beat him in 2018.

This does not bode well for Paxton or Texas Republicans.

If a squishy Democrat is ahead in a Texas Senate race, there are a few possible explanations: Texans are becoming more liberal, Talarico is a novelty or the Republican candidate is God-awful.

I don't think Talarico would best represent Texans in Washington, but I understand his appeal right now, especially given President Donald Trump's low approval rating. Why voters are drawn to the Democrat could be a more important lesson for Republicans than the fact that he's ahead at all.

Paxton's character issues give Talarico an edge in polls

The latest Texas Pulse/Texas A&M Bush School Poll, which has Talarico up by 4 percentage points, shows why. Voters favored Paxton on the border, but Trump and Gov. Greg........

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