Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, are facing off in their second and final debate before the Nov. 6 election.
The race has been unexpectedly close for Texas. O’Rourke, a charismatic politician who has drawn large rally crowds, fawning magazine profiles and comparisons to Barack Obama in 2007, has far out-raised his opponent. In the third quarter, O’Rourke raised $38 million, shattering the record for quarterly contributions.
Cruz is narrowly leading O’Rourke in most polls. A CBS News Battleground Tracker poll from earlier in October showed Cruz with 50 percent support among likely voters, compared to 44 percent support for O’Rourke.
For years, national Democrats have pinned their hopes on Texas, believing that demographic changes and urbanization could turn Texas, the state of Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, blue again. Although that vision failed to be realized in 2016, O’Rourke and his fans are hoping 2018 could become a turning point for Texas.