UPDATE: Republican incumbent Ted Cruz will win Texas’ U.S. Senate race, defeating Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, ABC reports.
Ted Cruz has been reelected #TXSEN per @ABCPolitics projection
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) November 7, 2018
Results expected around 8:00 PM EST. You can view live updates above. We will also have a backup live results link at the bottom of this story in case the above unit has any technical errors.
Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in an unexpectedly close Senate race, which has the potential to elect a Democrat in a statewide office for the first time since 1994.
Cruz emerged on the national political scene in 2012 as a Tea Party star. He orchestrated a government shutdown in 2013 and was the runner-up for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election. However, while he gained national attention, these high-profile actions may have backfired back home.
Enter Beto O’Rourke, a charismatic El Paso-area congressman with an ability to attract a large and passionate following — and an extremely large campaign war chest. O’Rourke, who has visited every county in Texas during his campaign, raised more than $38 million in the final quarter before the election, an unprecedented amount for a Senate race. O’Rourke and his followers believe that a progressive congressman can win the hearts of voters in deep-red Texas.
Although Cruz leads O’Rourke in the polls, the fact that the race is so close concerns national Republicans and excites Democrats. National Democrats have dreamed of a blue Texas for years, thanks to changing demographics and increased urbanization. – READ MORE