White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said Saturday that Sen. Ted Cruz could be unseated by Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke as the pair vie to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.
“There’s a very real possibility we will win a race for Senate in Florida and lose a race in Texas for Senate, OK?” Mulvaney told a closed-door meeting with Republican donors in New York City, according to the New York Times. “I don’t think it’s likely, but it’s a possibility. How likable is a candidate? That still counts.”
The Republican holds a slim lead on O’Rourke in the traditionally red state, according to RealClearPolitics’ poll aggregator, despite first being elected to the Senate in 2012 by 16 percentage points.
Mulvaney also referenced the tight Senate contest in Florida between incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Gov. Rick Scott. RealClearPolitics’ poll aggregator has Scott up with an almost 2 percentage point advantage.
Although the party may have selected weak candidates or failed to field candidates at all, Mulvaney was optimistic the GOP would prevail in November after the 2018 midterm elections.
“It’s hard to draw people into a movement of hate,” he added. “I don’t think I have seen, yet, people who used to be Republican or people who have never voted before or haven’t voted in a long time, showing up at these events.”
