State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) holds a narrow lead over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new statewide poll from the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research Center at Texas Southern University.

The survey, conducted July 27-30 among 1,200 likely Texas voters, found Talarico with 47 percent support to Paxton's 45 percent. Libertarian Ted Brown received 2 percent, while 6 percent of respondents were undecided.

The result tracks with recent polling from FOX News, Wedgewood and Texas Public Opinion Research, all of which found Talarico leading by between 2 and 5 percentage points.

The poll also found Paxton with a higher unfavorable rating than Talarico. Fifty-seven percent of likely voters viewed Paxton unfavorably, compared to 39 percent who viewed him favorably. Talarico's ratings were nearly even, with 46 percent viewing him favorably and 47 percent unfavorably. Only 7 percent said they did not know enough about Talarico to form an opinion, while 4 percent said the same about Paxton.

Texas Southern University pollster Mark Jones said the numbers suggest Republicans could face a more competitive election cycle than usual.

"Republicans other than Paxton are benefiting from Democrats not nominating their strongest potential candidates, and the current crop is relatively unknown and not likely to outperform the party baseline by much," Jones said.

While the Senate race was the closest contest in the poll, Republicans continued to lead across the rest of the statewide ballot.

Gov. Greg Abbott led state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) 49 percent to 43 percent. Libertarian Pat Dixon received 3 percent, and 5 percent of voters remained undecided.

Nearly every respondent said they knew enough about Abbott to have an opinion, with more than half viewing the governor unfavorably. Hinojosa remains less well known statewide. Sixty-five percent of respondents were familiar enough to rate her, with 37 percent viewing her favorably and 28 percent unfavorably.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a seven-point lead over state Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin). In the race to replace Paxton as attorney general, state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) led state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) by five points.

Newly sworn-in Comptroller Don Huffines led state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) by seven points, while Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham held a five-point advantage over Democrat Benjamin Flores.

The narrowest Republican lead outside the Senate race came in the contest for Texas Railroad Commission, where Bo French led state Rep. Jon Rosenthal (D-Houston) by 3 percentage points.

The survey comes after Paxton defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff in May. Following that victory, Cook Political Report shifted the Texas Senate race from "Likely Republican" to "Leans Republican." Democrats, who have not won a statewide race since 1994, have pointed to the contest as their best opportunity to end that streak.

Jones said Paxton's presence atop the ticket could also help Democratic candidates farther down the ballot.

"I think Paxton is a drag primarily by making the Senate race competitive and causing enthusiasm and money to pour into the state to support Talarico, with a rising blue tide helping to raise all Democratic boats, even those whose names are unknown to a majority of Texas voters," he said.

Republican statewide candidates met last week to discuss a coordinated campaign strategy heading into November.

"We will ensure Texas remains solid Red and we will preserve common sense over the chaotic policies promoted by radical Democrats," Abbott said in a social media post.

HP Pundit aka Dan Butcher contributed to this report.