AUSTIN (KXAN) — As state legislators continue debating bills at the Capitol, a new poll is highlighting which issues are most important to Texans.
The poll, conducted by a new initiative called Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR), asked 700 registered voters which two issues they felt were most important for the state's elected officials to focus on.
The highest response was for affordability and the cost of living — 37% of those surveyed said that should be one of the two main priorities for legislators. Education and public schools was second at 28%, as lawmakers continue to discuss education savings accounts (ESAs) to subsidize private education for eligible students.
Immigration and border security was also a top priority for voters, as well as Social Security and Medicare. More than 20% of poll respondents said each of those topics should be top of mind for lawmakers.
Less important were public safety, climate change and cultural issues. The poll showed less than 5% of Texans think those topics should be a top priority for elected officials.
"With the 2025 legislative session in Austin in full swing, this new data sheds light on the top issues Texans want their elected representatives to tackle," said Luke Warford, director of TPOR. "State lawmakers should focus on voters' priorities and recognize that Texans want them to address bread-and-butter issues like affordability, healthcare, border security and Social Security and Medicare — not hotly-contested culture war issues like displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and banning DEI."
While TPOR itself is a non-partisan initiative, Warford himself is a Democrat who formerly ran for Railroad Commissioner in 2022.
The poll also asked people whether they had a favorable or unfavorable view of several prominent politicians. Former Rep. Colin Allred was the only one to have a net favorable rating. The Democrat, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Texas, is "seriously considering" challenging Sen. John Cornyn in 2026, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Cornyn himself was found to be the least popular politician, with a net favorability rating of -22%, suggesting he could be vulnerable in next year's election. Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican, is being watched as a potential primary challenger to Cornyn. Paxton's favorability rating is -5%, according to the poll.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick both had favorability ratings below -10%, while approval for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance was -3% each.
TPOR says it plans to conduct research each quarter, "providing clear, digestible and actionable insights into voter sentiment on the state's most pressing issues," adding it hopes to serve as the "go-to neutral source of reliable information about the Texas population and electorate."
