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| Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz Set to Debate Tuesday Night | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — Three weeks after their last debate, Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Beto O’Rourke will face off again Tuesday night for the second and perhaps final time, as Mr. Cruz seeks to widen his lead in the polls and Mr. O’Rourke tries to restore dimming Democratic hopes that he can unseat Mr. Cruz and pull off the biggest upset in modern Texas political history. | SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — Three weeks after their last debate, Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Beto O’Rourke will face off again Tuesday night for the second and perhaps final time, as Mr. Cruz seeks to widen his lead in the polls and Mr. O’Rourke tries to restore dimming Democratic hopes that he can unseat Mr. Cruz and pull off the biggest upset in modern Texas political history. |
| The rival campaigns had initially agreed to three debates, but one was postponed and has not been rescheduled. Tuesday’s debate will focus on domestic and foreign policy. | The rival campaigns had initially agreed to three debates, but one was postponed and has not been rescheduled. Tuesday’s debate will focus on domestic and foreign policy. |
| The battle between Mr. Cruz and Mr. O’Rourke has captivated and polarized Texas and drawn enormous interest nationwide, with the candidates raising far more money than those in typical Senate races. Mr. O’Rourke raised a record-breaking $38.1 million in the last three months alone, the most of any Senate candidate ever. And he has enjoyed a kind of pop-culture celebrity status, getting a shout-out from the young El Paso soul singer Khalid at the American Music Awards and jamming on stage with Willie Nelson. On Thursday, he will appear in a live town-hall event on CNN in the border city of McAllen. | The battle between Mr. Cruz and Mr. O’Rourke has captivated and polarized Texas and drawn enormous interest nationwide, with the candidates raising far more money than those in typical Senate races. Mr. O’Rourke raised a record-breaking $38.1 million in the last three months alone, the most of any Senate candidate ever. And he has enjoyed a kind of pop-culture celebrity status, getting a shout-out from the young El Paso soul singer Khalid at the American Music Awards and jamming on stage with Willie Nelson. On Thursday, he will appear in a live town-hall event on CNN in the border city of McAllen. |
| For weeks, several polls showed the two candidates running about even, an extraordinary feat in Texas, where Democrats have failed to win any statewide offices since 1994. But lately the polls have shown Mr. Cruz building a lead over Mr. O’Rourke. One Quinnipiac University poll last week showed Mr. Cruz ahead by nine percentage points and another by The New York Times Upshot and Siena College had Mr. Cruz up by eight points. | For weeks, several polls showed the two candidates running about even, an extraordinary feat in Texas, where Democrats have failed to win any statewide offices since 1994. But lately the polls have shown Mr. Cruz building a lead over Mr. O’Rourke. One Quinnipiac University poll last week showed Mr. Cruz ahead by nine percentage points and another by The New York Times Upshot and Siena College had Mr. Cruz up by eight points. |
| Texas Democrats remain cautiously optimistic, with some more cautious and others more optimistic. | Texas Democrats remain cautiously optimistic, with some more cautious and others more optimistic. |
| Few, if any, Democrats running statewide in Texas in recent decades have generated the amount of enthusiasm that Mr. O’Rourke has. In the 2014 race for governor, the party’s nominee, Wendy Davis, enjoyed an initial wave of excitement but then trailed the Republican, Greg Abbott, by up to 12 percentage points in the polls four months before the election, and some Democrats were publicly and privately grumbling about her campaign’s missteps. Mr. O’Rourke is running a tighter race and a smoother campaign, effectively turning much of his life into a social-media livestream, allowing his supporters to watch him as he drives between events and gets a haircut. | Few, if any, Democrats running statewide in Texas in recent decades have generated the amount of enthusiasm that Mr. O’Rourke has. In the 2014 race for governor, the party’s nominee, Wendy Davis, enjoyed an initial wave of excitement but then trailed the Republican, Greg Abbott, by up to 12 percentage points in the polls four months before the election, and some Democrats were publicly and privately grumbling about her campaign’s missteps. Mr. O’Rourke is running a tighter race and a smoother campaign, effectively turning much of his life into a social-media livestream, allowing his supporters to watch him as he drives between events and gets a haircut. |
| “He’s probably running the best campaign that’s been run in Texas in my lifetime,” said Garry Mauro, a former state land commissioner who was the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Texas in 2016. “I’m on his Facebook. At one time yesterday he had 13,000 people watching him drive in the car.” | “He’s probably running the best campaign that’s been run in Texas in my lifetime,” said Garry Mauro, a former state land commissioner who was the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Texas in 2016. “I’m on his Facebook. At one time yesterday he had 13,000 people watching him drive in the car.” |
| Mr. Cruz was criticized early on by some Texas Republicans for not taking Mr. O’Rourke seriously enough. Those complaints have largely vanished as Mr. Cruz has gone on the attack, warning conservative audiences across the state that Mr. O’Rourke is too radical and liberal for Texas. | Mr. Cruz was criticized early on by some Texas Republicans for not taking Mr. O’Rourke seriously enough. Those complaints have largely vanished as Mr. Cruz has gone on the attack, warning conservative audiences across the state that Mr. O’Rourke is too radical and liberal for Texas. |
| “The polls are beginning to reflect the reality that is Texas — we are a conservative state where Republicans dominate,” said Allen E. Blakemore, a prominent G.O.P. political strategist in Texas. “Beto’s campaign was always built on a myth, and he’s taken $70 million from liberals all over the country to launch a quixotic adventure. It’s been a vanity play.” | “The polls are beginning to reflect the reality that is Texas — we are a conservative state where Republicans dominate,” said Allen E. Blakemore, a prominent G.O.P. political strategist in Texas. “Beto’s campaign was always built on a myth, and he’s taken $70 million from liberals all over the country to launch a quixotic adventure. It’s been a vanity play.” |
| Next week, President Trump will come to Houston to hold a rally for Mr. Cruz, a move that many Democrats view as a sign that Mr. Cruz’s campaign has been in need of a presidential rescue. Mr. Cruz dismisses that notion, expressing confidence he will win. In a recent interview, he said the only major question in his mind was turnout on Election Day. | Next week, President Trump will come to Houston to hold a rally for Mr. Cruz, a move that many Democrats view as a sign that Mr. Cruz’s campaign has been in need of a presidential rescue. Mr. Cruz dismisses that notion, expressing confidence he will win. In a recent interview, he said the only major question in his mind was turnout on Election Day. |
| “The voters on the hard left are going to show up. They’re enraged by Donald Trump and that anger will turn them out at the polls,” Mr. Cruz said. “What will decide this election is the South Texas oil field worker, or the West Texas oil field worker, whose job is going great, the economy’s booming. And he’s focused on going to work, going to church and raising his kids, maybe going to the ballgame, and he just might not make it to the polls this year. | “The voters on the hard left are going to show up. They’re enraged by Donald Trump and that anger will turn them out at the polls,” Mr. Cruz said. “What will decide this election is the South Texas oil field worker, or the West Texas oil field worker, whose job is going great, the economy’s booming. And he’s focused on going to work, going to church and raising his kids, maybe going to the ballgame, and he just might not make it to the polls this year. |
| “The sort of voter that typically votes in a presidential year and doesn’t typically vote in an off-cycle, nonpresidential year,” he added. “Those are the voters we need to turn out, who are just common-sense conservatives, but we need to make sure that they get to the polls.” | “The sort of voter that typically votes in a presidential year and doesn’t typically vote in an off-cycle, nonpresidential year,” he added. “Those are the voters we need to turn out, who are just common-sense conservatives, but we need to make sure that they get to the polls.” |
| In the first debate in Dallas last month, Mr. Cruz and Mr. O’Rourke clashed on immigration, gun control and police shootings, spoke over one another and accused each other of taking their words out of context. Mr. Cruz was in attack mode, turning a lighthearted moment into an opportunity for a jab, after he compared Mr. O’Rourke to Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. Mr. O’Rourke held his own against Mr. Cruz, who was a national debate champion at Princeton University, but he was more reserved and struggled to turn his expansive speaking style into memorable bite-size responses. | In the first debate in Dallas last month, Mr. Cruz and Mr. O’Rourke clashed on immigration, gun control and police shootings, spoke over one another and accused each other of taking their words out of context. Mr. Cruz was in attack mode, turning a lighthearted moment into an opportunity for a jab, after he compared Mr. O’Rourke to Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. Mr. O’Rourke held his own against Mr. Cruz, who was a national debate champion at Princeton University, but he was more reserved and struggled to turn his expansive speaking style into memorable bite-size responses. |
| Mr. O’Rourke said in an interview on Saturday that although he viewed the debate as important, he did not believe it was a make-or-break moment for his campaign. | Mr. O’Rourke said in an interview on Saturday that although he viewed the debate as important, he did not believe it was a make-or-break moment for his campaign. |
| “The level of attention in Texas right now on this race is exactly what we want,” Mr. O’Rourke said of the debate. “We want everybody paying attention, making sure that they have an opportunity to decide the election of our lifetime because as we know, it’s not just the state, but the country that hangs in the balance.” | “The level of attention in Texas right now on this race is exactly what we want,” Mr. O’Rourke said of the debate. “We want everybody paying attention, making sure that they have an opportunity to decide the election of our lifetime because as we know, it’s not just the state, but the country that hangs in the balance.” |
| “Cruz is an excellent debater,” he added. “But I also think that the issues that I’ve heard from people in all of our visits here, and everywhere around the state, I don’t know that you need to be a master debater to make your case.” | “Cruz is an excellent debater,” he added. “But I also think that the issues that I’ve heard from people in all of our visits here, and everywhere around the state, I don’t know that you need to be a master debater to make your case.” |
| The disconnect between state and national concerns has grown more striking for Mr. O’Rourke. Some Democrats called for Mr. O’Rourke to share his war chest with other Senate candidates around the country and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. On Monday, Mr. O’Rourke said he had no plans to share any of the $38.1 million he raised in recent months. | The disconnect between state and national concerns has grown more striking for Mr. O’Rourke. Some Democrats called for Mr. O’Rourke to share his war chest with other Senate candidates around the country and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. On Monday, Mr. O’Rourke said he had no plans to share any of the $38.1 million he raised in recent months. |
| “I’m focused on Texas,” he told supporters in San Antonio on Monday. | “I’m focused on Texas,” he told supporters in San Antonio on Monday. |