Harris narrows Trump's lead in Texas poll

Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed former President Trump's lead in the presidential race in Texas, according to a new Texas Politics Project poll.

Why it matters: Texas is less of a Republican stronghold since President Biden dropped his re-election bid in July, the new poll and other recent polls suggest.

The latest: Trump leads Harris 49% to 44% in the presidential race, per the August poll from the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project.

• In the project's June poll, Trump led then-candidate Biden by 7 points at 46% to 39%. He now leads by 5.

Zoom in: The August poll also shows Sen. Ted Cruz's lead in his re-election bid has shrunk against Democratic Congressman Colin Allred, who now trails by 8 points, compared with 11 points in June.

• Allred has been working to help Democrats get elected in down-ballot races statewide. He and the Democratic Party of Texas announced a collaboration in July to host voter registration drives and go block-walking.

The intrigue: Texans remain negative on the national and state economy. 49% of polled voters said the U.S. economy is worse than it was a year ago, and 36% think the Texas economy is worse than it was a year ago.

• Texas voters generally favor Trump over Harris on the economy and inflation, the poll found.

The fine print: The Texas Politics Project polled 1,200 registered voters Aug. 23-31, after the Democratic National Convention .

On VP candidates: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, is viewed slightly more favorably by Texans than Republican VP candidate JD Vance.

• 40% view Walz favorably, compared with 39% for Vance.
• The Texas Politics Project noted that Vance polled poorly among women, with 45% holding an unfavorable view of him.

The bottom line: Texas looks like it'll stay red in November, but its blue roots are showing.