Senate Showdown: Elon Musk gave $158 million to a Republican super PAC that routed the money to support Ken Paxton, as polls show Paxton and Democrat James Talarico in a tight race. Talarico raised a record $64 million in the third quarter. President Donald Trump urged Republicans to unite behind Paxton and blamed Sen. John Cornyn and strategist Karl Rove for making the race harder. Voting Begins: Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 19, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Texas says it cleared a backlog of voter registrations after a computer glitch delayed processing nearly 600,000 applications; a lawsuit challenges the state’s handling of the failure. Harris County will have 193 fewer Election Day vote centers than in 2022. Data Center Oversight: Attorney General Ken Paxton sent compliance letters to 156 data center developments over water-use reporting. But a potential $500 fine for failing to report has drawn criticism as too weak to compel compliance. Consumer Privacy: Temu agreed to pay Texas $3 million and accept data-security and privacy requirements to settle a state lawsuit, including independent audits and limits on sharing Texans’ data. ICE Inquiry: An ICE officer placed on administrative leave after allegedly striking a man with a vehicle near Houston is under internal investigation; the Harris County district attorney is also considering possible charges.