Beto O'Rourke, Ted Cruz make last-minute appeal to Texas voters close Video Cruz, O'Rourke remain locked in tight Senate race Candid...
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Cruz, O'Rourke remain locked in tight Senate race
Candidates are in the final hours of the campaign in Texas; Casey Stegall reports from El Paso on the high voter interest.
EL PASO, Texas â" A year ago today, no one imagined there would even be a race for Ted Cruzâs Senate seat in Texas. But in the months that ha ve passed, Beto OâRourke, an all but unknown congressman from El Paso, has gained a national spotlight and raised $38 million in the third quarter.
OâRourke has raised more money than Cruz â" more than any other Senate candidate ever. Cruz has an idea why his rival is getting attention and raising big bucks.
âIf youâre a crazy left-wing activist,â Cruz said, âyouâve got this guy in Texas pledging to go after and impeach Trump.â
But OâRourke brushes that aside, claiming Cruz is just playing politics.
âYouâre going to be hard-pressed to ever hear me talk about Sen. Cruz or the president or really anybody else,â said OâRourke, claiming heâd rather emphasize his vision for Texas.
The day before Tuesdayâs midterm election, Texas voters have a stark choice. The two menâs visions for the state and the country are diametrically opposed. Cruz wants a border wall. OâRourke is against it. Cruz opposes giving Dreamers a path to ci tizenship. OâRourke wants one. Cruz wants to end Obamacare. OâRourke is for expanding Medicare. The differences go on and on.
Both men have been crisscrossing the state in the last couple of weeks of the campaign, attempting to eke out last-minute gains. The voting climate in Texas is enthusiastic.
During the two weeks of early voting leading up to Election Day, voting has been almost on par with the last presidential election â" well above the most recent midterms. Experts say many of those voting are new voters.
âEarly voting numbers in a place like Texas indicate an enormous number of people who have no vote history,â said Daron Shaw, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who is a member of the Fox News Decision Team. âRepublican consultants I know are basically sort of conceding... that Beto OâRourke is going to win the lion share of that new voter.â
Does that mean OâRourke gets the win? Not so fast. Most experts doubt it.
< p>âIt has been 25 years since a Democrat won a statewide race in Texas,â said Cal Jillson, a political science professor with Southern Methodist University. Most polls have had incumbent Cruz up throughout the race by varying margins.âThis is Texas,â Jillson said.
Texas also has a gubernatorial race this year with Gov. Greg Abbott solidly ahead of his opponent, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. That race is expected to bring out Republican voters to help Cruz.
Both candidates will have their watch parties in their respective hometowns -- Cruz in Houston and OâRourke in El Paso.
Source: Google News | Netizen 24 United States
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