Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Beto O'Rourke May Have Just Pulled Ahead of Ted Cruz in His Longshot Race For U.S. Senate In Texas

Beto O'Rourke May Have Just Pulled Ahead of Ted Cruz in His Longshot Race For U.S. Senate In Texas

Whoah.

The Texas Senate race between incumbent Ted Cruz (R) and his challenger, Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D), is a nailbiter. A new Reuters/Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics Poll released on Wednesday shows that Democrats may very well be in their way toward capturing an elusive Senate seat in deep red Texas.


While most polls have shown Cruz up by single digits over O'Rourke, this new Reuters/Ipsos poll gives O'Rourke a two-point edge over Cruz, 47-45 percent among likely Texas voters. O'Rourke could become the first Democrat to win a statewide race in the Lonestar State in nearly three decades.

Reuters reported that its poll "showed Hispanic voters preferring O’Rourke by about a 2-to-1 margin over Cruz, who is of Cuban heritage."

O'Rourke launched his first Spanish television ads on Tuesday in hopes to spur Hispanic voter turnout, which is crucial to a Democratic victory this year and essential if Democrats hope to retake the Senate and turn Texas blue in future presidential elections.

"There’s a possibility it could happen," Larry Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics, said of a possible O'Rourke victory. "I’m not saying probable. But it’s possible."

Sabato added that Cruz's feuds with Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race "damaged him with parts of the Texas electorate that he needs for re-election.”

The Texas Senate poll was one of several released by Reuters/Ipsos on Wednesday, not all of which had good news for Democrats, who need to run the table if they're going to win back the Senate in November.

While it had O'Rourke slightly up, two other Democratic Senate hopefuls -- incumbent Bill Nelson in Florida and Jacky Rosen in Nevada -- were slightly down in their Senate races. And the Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas, Lupe Valdez, was faring even worse, down 9 points against Text Governor Rick Abbott. Which makes it all the more impressive that this poll shows such strength for O'Rourke in the Republican stronghold.

Of course, that is just one poll. Just yesterday, in fact, a Quinnipiac poll was released showing Cruz with a nine-point lead over O'Rourke.

Twitter is reminding people that no matter what the polls say, everyone must vote.

Other result from the poll included good news in Arizona, where Democrat Representative Kyrsten Sinema holds a three-point lead over Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally. Both women are seeking to replace Jeff Flake (R), who is not seeking a second term.

The leads held by Democrats in Texas and Arizona "are within the poll’s 4-percentage-point credibility intervals, a measure of precision," Reuters notes, "meaning the candidates are drawing about the same level of support."

In Florida, the race for governor has the potential to be historic. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) holds a six-point lead over Republican challenger Rick DeSantis, a Trump-supporting Congressman. Should Gillum prevail, he would become Florida's first black governor.

Reuters says that Gillum's lead could help Senator Bill Nelson (D) hold on to his seat "as the two share the Democratic ticket across the state." According to Wednesday's poll, Nelson trails Rick Scott, Florida's retiring Republican governor, by one percentage point, essentially making it a tied race.

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) holds a healthy 20-point lead over her challenger from the left, State Senator Kevin de Leon, the poll shows.

In Nevada, incumbent Republican Senator Dean Heller's lead over Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Rosen is only three points, within the margin of error. "Heller is the only Republican senator defending a seat in a state that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won in 2016," Reuters says.

More from News

Hillary Clinton
Kimberly White/Getty Images for Common Sense Media

Hillary Clinton Has Iconic Reaction To Trump Administration's 'Atlantic' Text Scandal

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a succinct response after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivian Jenna Wilson; Elon Musk
@vivllainous/TikTok; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Elon Musk's Trans Daughter Epically Claps Back After Musk Claims His Child 'Died'

Elon Musk's estranged trans daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, used an iconic soundbite from RuPaul's Drag Race to clap back at Musk's claim that his child had "died."

The SpaceX co-founder responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) defending Musk for appearing to give the Nazi salute twice at Republican President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Mike Myers and Mark Carney
@MarkJCarney/X

Mike Myers Joins Canada's New Prime Minister For Epic Jab At Trump In Viral Video

Actor and comedian Mike Myers has gone viral after joining Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for a video message that mocks President Donald Trump and his plan to make Canada the 51st state of the United States.

In the Liberal Party skit, Mike Myers and Mark Carney—both dressed in red Canada jerseys—share a moment at a hockey practice. Carney starts off skeptical of Myers, questioning his Canadian credentials since he now lives in the United States, despite being born and raised in Canada.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Buttigieg
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Drops F-Bombs After Trump Administration Invites Journalist Into High-Level Military Group Chat

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg passionately spoke out after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with Easter bunny at 2017 Easter egg roll
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Blasted After Turning Annual White House Easter Tradition Into Corporate Grift

President Donald Trump has sparked concerns from ethics experts after soliciting corporate sponsors for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Potential sponsors of the April 21 event were presented with three sponsorship options ranging from $75,000 to $200,000, according to a nine-page guide reviewed by The New York Times.

Keep ReadingShow less