Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, holds a double-digit lead over Rep. Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat campaigning to unseat him this year, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
Cruz leads with 50 percent support to O’Rourke’s 39 percent in the latest Quinnipiac Poll as the Texas senator looks to extend his lead with just over five months until the midterm elections. In Quinnipiac’s previous poll taken in early April, Cruz held just a 3 percentage point advantage over O’Rourke.
In the month and a half since the first poll, the incumbent Republican has overtaken O’Rourke in two key voter blocs — Hispanics and women. O’Rourke led among both groups, beating Cruz among Hispanics by 18 points (51-33) and women by 4 points (47-43). Cruz now holds a 2 percentage point lead among the two key groups.
Additionally, Cruz’s lead has widened among men and white voters. O’Rourke still maintains a significant lead with black voters.
Voters also view Cruz in a favorable light heading into the fall. Fifty-two percent of voters approve of Cruz’s job compared to 39 disapprove, while 49 percent view him favorably. Thirty-eight percent view the Texas Republican unfavorably.
President Trump’s standing in the state is also likely buoying Cruz as his approval ratings hit an even split, with 47 percent both approving and disapproving his job in office. This is up from a 9 percentage point deficit (43-52) from the April poll.
Cruz is one of only nine incumbent Republicans up for re-election in the fall compared to 26 Senate Democrats who will face the voters in November. This is his first bid for re-election.
[Also read: Democrat Beto O’Rourke wants to debate Ted Cruz six times — twice in Spanish]
