State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) leads his potential Republican opponents in the U.S. Senate race in Texas, per a poll from the University of Texas out this morning.

Why it matters: A close race in Texas would expand the battleground for Democrats in their bid to retake the Senate and put a legislative check on President Trump.

State of play: Talarico will face either U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who are vying for the GOP nomination in a May 26 runoff.

By the numbers: In hypothetical matchups, Talarico led Cornyn 40% to 33% among 1,200 registered voters in the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, and he held a 42% to 34% lead over Paxton.

Context: The poll comes a day after another nonpartisan poll found Talarico leading his Republican rivals by closer margins.

What they're saying: Republicans remain divided on who they want to represent them in the race — but they still have plenty of time to get behind a single candidate by November, Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, tells Axios.

• "We are asking voters in April about their potential voting preferences in this hypothetical matchup while an incredibly heated and long-running primary is going on," he says.

Reality check: No Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994.

• But Talarico has been raising record amounts of money, and President Trump's low approval ratings have been a drag on Republican candidates around the country.

The intrigue: At an event at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick forecast problems for Republicans if the party couldn't unite behind its Senate nominee.

• He urged Paxton and Cornyn to endorse whoever wins the bitterly contested primary. "Because if 10-15% of either of their sides don't turn out and vote, James Talarico is going to win," he said.

The bottom line: "It's likely to be a pretty favorable electoral environment for Democrats should things stay on the trajectory they're on now," Henson says.

More about the poll

As part of our running feature about the favorite meals of Austin chefs and restaurant owners, we recently chatted with Donna Wilkins, co-owner (with her husband) of Juliet Italian Kitchen.

Stunning stat: Wilkins tells us that the comfort-food restaurant's Barton Springs Road and Arboretum locations each serve 10,000 meals a month. They also operate a cafe in Georgetown.

• House-made pasta dishes include a spicy rigatoni alla vodka ($20) and a lamb ragù with pappardelle ($24).

The background: Wilkins moved to Austin more than 30 years ago for a software development job. A little over a decade ago, she and her husband, aerospace engineer Dan Wilkins, decided to get into the restaurant business.

• There is no actual Juliet. It won its name because the previous restaurant at the Barton Springs location was Romeo's.

You're on a desert island. What's the one dish you'd like with you?

"The steak tampiquena at Churchrow Tejas BBQ. We went there (recently) and I'm still dreaming of that meal."

You can bring a dessert.

"I'd pick the spumoni sundae at Juliet. It's made of gelato — pistachio, cherry and chocolate. So you have some nuts, you've got the cherry pieces — the crunchy pieces — and the creamy gelato and the blend of flavors. And then it's served spumoni-style like we had in Chicago.

• I grew up in the suburbs, and my grandmother used to buy spumoni for us."

Her drink of choice

👀 After Kacey Musgraves' 3-night run at Gruene Hall immediately sold out, the singer and Moody Center posted a "See you here!" graphic, suggesting a bigger Austin show could be next. (Moody Center on Instagram)

🐶 Yard Bar, the dog-friendly bar and park on Burnet Road, is closing at the end of May. (KVUE)

🐜 Seasonal conditions are leading to more fire ant mounds around Austin. (Austin American-Statesman)

🚔 Kyle police are searching for a man they say launched a fake fundraiser claiming his child died after a car crash. (Fox 7 Austin)

If you're ready to level up your outdoor game, consider adding a bat box to your space.

Why it matters: Texas is home to 32 bat species, and bat boxes can help provide safe roosting habitat as natural spaces shrink.

• As many as 100,000 bats are present year-round beneath the Ann Richards Bridge over Lady Bird Lake, but that number ramps up to more than a million in summer months.

The big picture: Bats are key pollinators that spread seeds and devour pesky insects like mosquitoes, wasps and flies.

Yes, but: "Bat houses are complicated to get right," warn experts at Bat Conservation International. "They can go unused for years, attract pests, and even harm bats when installed incorrectly."

• Bats are "high risk for spreading rabies," per the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
• Avoid handling them and contact wildlife experts if one appears sick or injured.

What to do: Follow these instructions for building a bat house.

The bottom line: You'll know your box is working if bat guano starts piling up below.

Dig deeper: Why bat conservationist Merlin Tuttle recommends a bat box

👋 Asher here.

• I dropped by Tintaraa, an Indian restaurant by 29th and Guadalupe streets.

What I was looking for: A go-to Indian restaurant near UT.

🍽️ What I ordered: Comforting paneer butter masala ($14) and fried rice ($12), tasty shrimp curry ($16) and fine yellow daal ($11). Mesmerizing Bollywood clips played on overhead televisions.

Yes, but: The presentation is bare bones — everything served in plastic, with disposable plates and utensils — and the place is underlit.

Six-word review: Good food perhaps best as takeaway.