President Trump is spending Tuesday in Texas, holding events in Corpus Christi and Lubbock to boost Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. It’s his third trip to the state since September, a sign of how much the national party wants to hold a seat that has been safely Republican for a generation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to appear alongside the President to highlight a Venezuelan crude oil tanker arriving for Texas refineries, though it’s not yet clear if he’ll join any campaign events.

The race has tightened because Democrat James Talarico has made Paxton’s legal and ethical record a central issue, and the broader political environment has been rough on Republicans. Talarico isn’t leaving the day to his opponent either, with planned stops in Midland, Amarillo and Lubbock. Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in thirty-two years, which is exactly why a competitive Senate race here is drawing so much attention.

For Waxahachie and Ellis County, the story is less about the rallies and more about what they signal. When a national party spends the final week of a campaign defending what used to be a guaranteed win, it says something about the midterm map and the fight for Senate control. Do you think Texas is still a reliably red state, or has something shifted? Let us know on our Facebook page.