In the bleachers at any high school football game across Texas, you'll be hard-pressed to find something fans love more.
Eric Schultz called high school football in Texas a "function of the community." He came to the Deer Park High School homecoming game in the suburbs of Houston with his wife and kids even without a player on the field.
"No matter if you're in a big city or rural, rural Texas where I grew up everybody goes to the game," Schultz said. "You know it's the same principle as going to church."
The football field remains common ground for Texans in a state where the political tide appears to be shifting. Once reliably red for Republicans, this year Texas is flashing shades of blue. From the economy to immigration, voters across the Lone Star State are wrestling with the top political issues while they consider the candidates.
On the ballot this midterm election are two historically close races. Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico are forcing their Republican counterparts, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, into ultra-competitive contests for governor and Senate, respectively. Recent polling from theTexas Politics Projectshows Talarico a few points ahead of Paxton and the race between Hinojosa and Abbott effectively tied.
Emily Taylor, who came to the game to watch her niece Sydney cheer, said this cycle feels different to her.
"The other day, I took some back roads leaving a restaurant that I had never taken before, and I saw two houses that had Talarico and Gina Hinojosa signs outside, and it made me so hopeful because I do not remember seeing that during Kamala Harris’s run," Taylor said.
Taylor is a Democrat living in Deer Park, a traditionally conservative suburb of Houston. She said her faith is important to her and that she believes Talarico spotlighting his Christian values on the campaign trail will help him win the support of more moderate Republicans.
"So many people in Texas feel like they have to vote red because their parents did [and] their grandparents did," Taylor said. "It’s instilled in them their Christian beliefs that they have to vote red, and that’s not the case."
A Democrat has not won statewide in Texas in more than three decades. Democrat Beto O'Rourke energized the party in 2018 when he came within striking distance of beating Republican Senator Ted Cruz, but ultimately fell three points short. This cycle, however, Talarico has polled ahead of Paxton, a milestone O'Rourke never achieved, infusing the Democrats with renewed hope.
"If we can do it — this is the year," Taylor said. "And I think [Talarico and Hinojosa] are the ones to do it."
Schultz isn't convinced. When he heads to the polls this year, he said he'll vote Republican just as he has in every election since he turned 18. He keeps two specific groups in mind when casting his ballot.
At the end of the day, kids and elderly are important," Schultz said. "Elderly pave the way [and] kids are the future. So those are important topics that need to be taken care of."
He believes the major shift in Texas politics is confined to the major cities like Dallas, Austin, and Houston.
"When you get in smaller communities, they’re more like-minded," Schultz said. "I think it’ll stay the same."
Nate Esser, sitting a couple dozen bleachers below, is hoping Schultz is wrong.
"I'm hoping people will wake up and realize that the current administration is not doing anything for them right now," Esser said.
He rattles off a long list of issues he has with the current state.
"Cost of goods, inflation, the economy for the average person. I mean my 401k is doing great, but you know that doesn’t benefit most people," Esser said. "Gas prices, fairness to people — like treating everyone fairly — equal rights for trans people, gay people, people of color. I’m sick of this ICE crap."
Immigration enforcement has taken center stage in political debates across Texas after a series of incidents involving ice agents and allegations of excessive force. Still, Esser isn't so sure many others in the Deer Park community agree with him.
"You’ve interviewed a lot of people around here and my guess is I’m one of the few that has spoken like this to you," Esser said.
But the crowd is more of a mixed bag, and this surprised both Esser and his wife Sarah. She grew up here in Deer Park and said she has trouble seeing the state flip to blue.
"That's crazy," she said. "Any talk of politics in this town, you don't really get a lot of different answers. Even our girls — their friends discuss it — it's just really clear that it's just a very conservative place to live."
Sitting in the stands are Democrats, Republicans and some, like Stephanie Peterson, who are bucking both parties.
"I was with the Republicans, but now I don't know because the way everything's going down, going down, going down," she said.
Peterson manages the concession stand at Deer Park's stadium, which raises thousands of dollars for the marching band and colorguard. Peterson keeps the shelves stocked and keeps an eye on rising prices for both the booth and her own family's pantry.
"The prices going up; it’s killing us," she said. "Basically, now you have to have a two-income family just to survive, and we don’t have that. So, you don’t know how you’re going to survive anymore."
Peterson, who voted for Trump in 2024, said she may just stay home on election day.
"I don't know," she said. "I'm undecided."
In a cycle where the races have razor-thin margins, even the slightest dip in turnout could have dramatic impacts on election night.
Deer Park High School ended the game Friday night with a decisive win, 38-14 over Clear Creek High. Election night in Texas, however, is expected to look like a much tighter contest.
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