Beto O'Rourke is exciting Democrats in Texas. The gargantuan $6.7 million he raised last quarter gives the party hope that he has a chance to defeat Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate in November. He's at least "posing a threat," media are reporting.
He hopes to keep his momentum going, but he's using an interesting strategy in the conservative state. In a new interview with CNN Friday, O'Rourke positioned himself to the left of even Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on border security. The two Democratic leaders, who have suggested they'd be open to helping pay for President Trump's border wall, O'Rourke said that wouldn't happen on his watch.
"With all due respect to Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer, neither of them understand Texas nor do they understand the U.S.-Mexico border," the Senate candidate said. "We don’t need walls. Those walls will be built on the private land of our fellow Texans here."Instead, he offered, "we need to fix our immigration laws and make sure those laws reflect our values, our interests and look like Texas, the most diverse state, the defining immigrant experience."
There's no need to "militarize the border," according to the Democrat.
O'Rourke's opinion does not surprise Cruz.
"Beto wants those open borders, and he wants to take our guns," the incumbent senator said. "Not a chance on earth he gets the vote of millions of Texans.”
Considering Texas's conservatism, at first glance O'Rourke's open borders policy may not sit well with the Lone Star State voters. Yet, some surveys reveals that Texans are fans of Trump, but not necessarily fans of the wall.
Over 60 percent of Texans oppose the wall, while 35 percent support it and 4 percent don’t know or declined to answer, according to a poll by Texas Lyceum.
Yet, how far will this one issue take the Democrat in the statewide election?