Fox News host Sean Hannity stated on air Tuesday that he did not believe a recent poll from his own network that showed Texas Democrat James Talarico slightly ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in their Senate race. The poll, released July 30, indicated Talarico leading by three percentage points.
Hannity made the remarks during a segment with former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio brought up the Fox News poll after Hannity criticized Talarico, an Austin-area congressman, for past statements regarding gender and religion. Hannity, who began his career at Fox News in 1996, was discussing progressive candidates and policies when he questioned Talarico's remarks, which included a 2021 statement that "modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes - in fact, there are six." Talarico also stated "God is non-binary" during the same speech, though he later characterized the remark as "deliberately provocative" and suggested Republicans were using his comments to distract from Paxton's record.
De Blasio countered that Talarico and similar candidates were gaining traction by focusing on "common-sense, kitchen-table issues." He suggested that a unified Democratic approach could pose a significant challenge to Republicans.
Hannity remained unconvinced, pointing to public criticisms of the Democratic party from figures such as James Carville, Bill Maher, and John Fetterman as indicators of internal party frustration. He characterized this pushback as "a canary in the coal mine."
De Blasio disagreed, arguing that younger voters would ultimately influence election outcomes and that Democrats could see surprising support. The two hosts repeatedly offered to make bets on their respective predictions.
The Texas Senate race has drawn national attention due to the starkly contrasting political ideologies of Talarico and Paxton. Paxton, who has served as Texas Attorney General for a decade, describes himself as a hardline conservative and warns that the election will determine if Texas "remains the conservative stronghold that leads America or becomes another state controlled by the radical left."
