Trump Heads to Waco October 27 to Rally Support for Republican Senate Candidate Ken Paxton

President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Waco, Texas, on October 27 for a campaign rally supporting Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, as both parties intensify their efforts ahead of the November midterm elections. The visit, announced by Republican National Committee officials and reported by multiple news organizations, will be part of a two-city campaign trip that also includes Lubbock. The Waco event is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time, although organizers have not yet announced its venue.

The Republican Party’s official event listing confirms the Waco rally and provides a preliminary schedule. Doors are scheduled to open at 2:30 p.m., the program is expected to begin at 4:30 p.m., and Trump’s remarks are scheduled for 6 p.m. The president is also expected to appear at a rally in Lubbock earlier that afternoon, with his remarks scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Event arrangements could change, and attendees should consult the organizers’ latest announcements for venue and access information.

The central political objective of the trip is to strengthen Paxton’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Paxton, Texas’s Republican attorney general, won his party’s nomination and is challenging Democratic state Representative James Talarico for a seat currently held by Republican Senator John Cornyn. Trump has publicly endorsed Paxton and has repeatedly encouraged voters to support him, making the Texas Senate contest an important part of the president’s broader effort to help Republicans retain their congressional majorities.

The race has attracted national attention because Texas has long been a Republican stronghold, yet recent polling has indicated a competitive contest. A CBS News report published October 19 described the race as essentially tied. A CBS News and YouGov survey cited in contemporaneous reporting found Talarico at 51 percent and Paxton at 49 percent among registered voters, with a margin of error of approximately 3.4 percentage points. That difference falls within the poll’s margin of error, meaning the results do not establish a statistically clear leader. Poll findings represent a snapshot of voter preferences, not a prediction of the final result.

Trump has argued that his appearances are helping Paxton gain ground. In recent public remarks, he said he believed the rallies had changed the dynamics of the race and suggested that Paxton was moving ahead. Those statements reflect the president’s assessment, however, and should not be treated as independent proof that his campaign appearances have changed voters’ preferences. Establishing such an effect would require evidence beyond a candidate’s or campaign surrogate’s claims.

The upcoming visit follows an intensive series of Republican campaign events in Texas. Trump attended a Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September and visited Denton and San Antonio earlier in October. His San Antonio appearance on October 7 included Paxton and Republican congressional candidate Carlos De la Cruz. The October 27 trip will therefore represent another effort to mobilize Republican supporters in a state that both parties view as strategically important.

The campaign has also faced questions about the effectiveness of Republican messaging. According to CBS News, leaked audio obtained by The New York Times reportedly captured Paxton telling donors that polling numbers had fallen following the party’s Dallas convention. CBS said it had not independently verified the recording. Paxton’s spokesperson, Nick Maddux, rejected the account as manipulated nonsense and cited an internal poll showing Paxton leading Talarico by three percentage points. Because the competing claims rely on different sources and polling methods, neither should be presented as a definitive account of the race’s direction.

The candidates are competing over issues that extend well beyond party loyalty. Republican messaging has emphasized border security, immigration enforcement, law and order, economic policy, and conservative values. Democrats have focused on the cost of living, health care, employment, and concerns about political leadership. The extent to which these issues influence individual voters may vary across urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout Texas.

Waco also has significance in Trump’s political history. On March 25, 2023, he held a major rally at Waco Regional Airport during the early stages of his campaign for the 2024 presidential election. That event attracted substantial attention and provided a platform for his criticism of the Biden administration, his immigration agenda, and his political opponents. His return to the city comes more than three years later, this time with a Senate contest and congressional control at the center of the campaign.

The November 3 midterm elections will determine control of the House of Representatives and help decide the balance of power in the Senate. A competitive Texas Senate race could therefore have consequences extending beyond the state. A victory for Paxton would strengthen Republican prospects, while a win for Talarico would give Democrats an opportunity to gain ground in a state where they have struggled to win statewide elections in recent decades.

Trump’s October 27 appearances are intended to energize supporters and give Paxton additional visibility during the final stretch of the campaign. Whether that effort translates into votes remains uncertain. Turnout, campaign spending, local concerns, voter perceptions, and developments during the closing days may all influence the outcome. For now, the confirmed details are the date, the two planned Texas stops, and the scheduled rally times. The Waco venue remains unannounced, and the eventual electoral impact of the president’s visit cannot yet be measured.