Some media outlets are musing that Democrat Beto O'Rourke's latest fundraising haul proves he's ready to dethrone conservative Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. Cruz, who entered the Senate in 2013, is one of the most familiar names and faces in politics. You either love him or you hate him. O'Rourke is hoping to bank on that last group.
Bank he has. The Democrat pulled in $6.7 million for his campaign last quarter, new Federal Election Commission reports reveal. That "staggering number" poses "a new category of threat" to Cruz, according to Raw Story.
It is an impressive haul by any standards, but especially because the Democratic candidate has refused to accept any PAC money. His total comes from more than 141,000 contributions.
“We’re absolutely running this race the right way—not taking any PAC money, going to every single county and holding town halls across Texas where anyone can ask any question,” O'Rourke said in a statement Tuesday.
O'Rourke is the latest Democratic candidate to excite liberals about turning Texas blue. He is "Kennedyesque," according to this title from Vanity Fair.
The emboldened candidate has not been resting on his fundraising and positive media. His campaign has been accusing Cruz of neglecting certain areas in Texas, like Beaumont. Cruz, however, claims O'Rourke is the one who has failed to show his face there.
He was quick to counterpunch.
Gosh @BetoORourke — I’ve been to Beaumont 4 times in the past year, including 3 times in the days following Hurricane Harvey. As best I can tell, you’ve been there once for a drive-by campaign event on Feb 9. Maybe that’s why you lost Jefferson County in the Dem primary.... https://t.co/EFDAHq90cL
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 2, 2018
Cruz is doing much to remind Texans that O'Rourke is a "left wing liberal" who cares little for border security.
"Beto wants those open borders, and he wants to take our guns," Cruz said. "Not a chance on earth he gets the vote of millions of Texans.”
He is, however, getting millions of dollars.
The Texas Senate election will be one of many to take place on Nov. 6, 2018.