Upset Brief · TX-16 · Adam Bauman (R) vs. Veronica Escobar (D), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 20.5-point national wave.
<1%
odds today
<1%
odds with the plan
34,487
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 19
Where
- 01+72Precinct 203 (El Paso County)Starting line Escobar +12. 5.4% split their ticket.
- 02+54Precinct 8 (El Paso County)Starting line Bauman +14. 4.6% split their ticket. About 282 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 03+42Precinct 181 (El Paso County)Starting line Escobar +4. 3.9% split their ticket.
- 04+37Precinct 18 (El Paso County)Starting line Escobar +2. 3.6% split their ticket.
- 05+35Precinct 126 (El Paso County)Starting line Escobar +20. 2.8% split their ticket.
- 06+35Precinct 6 (El Paso County)Starting line Bauman +16. 1.3% split their ticket. About 422 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
The top 12 precincts carry 16% of the plan.
How
- P+2,153Persuade2,153 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Escobar today.
- M+34MobilizeAt least 726 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Bauman's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+683ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Bauman's way.
Plus a national shift of 20.5 points of margin (31,618 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Bauman wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Escobar.
- In Precinct 6 (El Paso County) and Precinct 8 (El Paso County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- The national environment moves about 20.5 points toward Bauman's side between now and November 3.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression197 precincts, R² 0.956, 27 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -49,319 to -13,658 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Bauman no FEC totals reported; Escobar $270,455.
- 04Call program for this list4,818 households, 14,454 dials, about 757 live conversations: an estimated $2,749 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Texas Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.