Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, is emboldened by record early-voting turnout in Texas, where he is competing to unseat incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“If this continues, we win,” O’Rourke said Friday after a rally in Lewisville, Texas, according to Dallas News.
The polls still favor Cruz in deep-red Texas. Though they have tightened in recent days, RealClearPolitics’ polling aggregator shows Cruz up 6.5 percentage points in recent polling.
However, early voting numbers are up in Texas — particularly among young people — and high turnout is historically good news for Democrats in midterm elections. Across the U.S., the forecast by many pollsters indicate a so-called “blue wave” is becoming more likely. Democrats need to flip 23 seats to take control of the lower chamber.
O’Rourke, who also boasts big turnout at rallies and tremendous fundraising numbers, expressed a strong show of confidence, looking ahead to what he plans to do as a senator.
“I feel very good about our prospects, not just on election night, but on being able to deliver for the next six years that follow on every priority, from healthcare to education to immigration to criminal justice reform. Texas is going to be the leader that this country has been waiting for,” he said.
In an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Cruz acknowledged the excitement surrounding his opponent, but claimed to still have the advantage.
“We’ve got numbers on our side. There are lot more conservatives than there are liberals. What the O’Rourke campaign has had on their side is intensity. The liberals who are in Texas are really, really mad,” Cruz said. “They hate President Trump. That anger is dangerous. I mean, that anger is mobilizing. It means they’re going to show up no matter what. As I’ve said, they’ll crawl over broken — broken glass to show up.”
Asked if that is a “good thing,” Cruz replied, “Look, intensity is, is always potent. Intensity turns people out at the polls.”
