TEXAS — The latest poll by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project, published Friday, shows former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris 49% to 44% in a head-to-head matchup in Texas.

Three percent of respondents chose “someone else” and 4% were undecided.

While Trump maintains a 5-point lead, it’s important to note that the June poll showed Trump with a 7-point lead over then-candidate President Joe Biden.

This latest poll shows very similar results to a poll published by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University in August that showed Trump leading Harris 49.5% to 44.6% among likely voters.

The Texas Politics Project poll also shows an increase in enthusiasm among Democrats about the November election. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats were “extremely” or “very” enthusiastic about voting in the 2024 election. The June poll showed 61% of Democrats were enthusiastic about the election.

Turning to the top Texas race, the Texas Politics Project poll shows incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz leading his challenger, Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, 44% to 36%. Two percent favored Libertarian candidate Ted Brown, 4% chose “someone else” and 14% were undecided.

Cruz led Allred 45% to 34% in the June poll.

The poll shows Texas voters trust Trump over Harris for handling the economy, border security and crime/public safety. Harris has the edge for handling climate change, abortion access and health care.

Among all voters, 72% think Biden “made the right decision by dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.” Only 17% said it was the wrong decision. Eleven percent had no opinion.

The poll was conducted Aug. 23-31 among 1,200 registered voters. It has a margin of error of +/- 2.83%.