Club for Growth President David McIntosh on Friday conceded that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is struggling to connect with Republicans back home and heaped praise on Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, for running a strong campaign.

McIntosh is a key Cruz supporter and the Club for Growth is investing heavily on his re-election. But McIntosh nevertheless told C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” that Cruz’s personality remains a major problem for middle-of-the-road Republicans — also known in the state as “Bush Republicans.” McIntosh expects the race to become ideologically driven closer to Election Day, and believes Cruz will eventually pull away despite the inroads made by O’Rourke in the last month.