Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won his Republican primary contest and will face off against Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who also easily emerged victorious Tuesday, in the November 2018 general election.
With the the primaries wrapping up and talk of a possible blue wave in Texas, Cruz took to labeling O’Rourke, who has outraised Cruz, as a “left-wing liberal Democrat” while taking note of the the Left’s animosity toward President Trump.
“Congressman O’Rourke is a left-wing liberal Democrat,” Cruz told reporters Tuesday, according to Dallas News. “It is true that the extreme Left is angry and energized and they hate the president. … But the good news is there are more conservatives than there are liberals in Texas.”
But O’Rourke, a three-term congressman, did not seem phased by the comments. “Can you define any of that on the political spectrum?” he said.
“I’m not running against anyone. I’m running with the people of Texas to do something really great for this country,” O’Rourke said, adding, “There’s really not much I need to say about Sen. Cruz. I trust the people of Texas. I trust their ability to make their own judgments.”
Cruz expressed some degree of concern earlier in the day Tuesday, saying he was “absolutely” worried that Democrats in Texas would deliver a strong turnout in the midterm elections. He said that the furor exhibited by the “extreme Left” makes it increasingly important for conservatives to “show up in November.”
After O’Rourke won his primary, Cruz unveiled his first campaign ad, which says in a jingle, “If you’re gonna run in Texas, you can’t be a liberal man.”
FIRST LISTEN: our new 60-second statewide radio ad introducing our liberal opponent, Congressman Robert O’Rourke, to Texas voters.
Help #KeepTexasRed: https://t.co/PVsiCtbbyL #CruzCrew #TXSen pic.twitter.com/OxK61gZ0ek
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 7, 2018
Despite the jingle’s message, Democrats in the state are becoming more politically active. The Dallas Morning News reported that among Texas’ 15 more populous counties, Democratic turnout has doubled since the 2014 elections.
Also in Tuesday’s primary, Gov. Greg Abbott secured the Republican nomination and is expected to be the favorite against his Democratic opponent, who has yet to be determined. Additionally, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination for re-election after running unopposed in the primary, even though he has been indicted on felony securities fraud charges.
