#TXSen: Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke

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Beto O’Rourke vs. Ted Cruz

All our U.S. Senate race coverage in one place.

Beto O’Rourke captivated audiences at town halls and online for more than a year in his bid to unseat the least popular senator in Washington D.C. But with little help on the ballot, a politically adept opponent who cut his teeth in a presidential campaign and his party’s near-three-decade-long statewide losing streak, O’Rourke was still a long shot, ultimately losing to Cruz by less than 3 percentage points (though votes are still being counted at the time of this writing). We’ve covered this race — one of the most watched in the country — on the ground for more than a year. Find all our reporting below and check this page for updates. Still want more? Subscribe to our limited-series newsletter on the O’Rourke/Cruz matchup — the final email in the series goes out Tuesday, November 13.

Story stream:
 

How Beto Built His Texas-Sized Grassroots Machine

O’Rourke turned to the top architects of Bernie’s campaign.

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The Disconnect Between Ted Cruz’s Victory Speech and What Actually Happened in Texas

Speakers on stage overstated their hold on Texas.

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‘I’m as Hopeful as I’ve Ever Been in My Life’

O’Rourke said goodbye to a crowd in El Paso, promising that “We’ll see you out there down the road.”

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Beto Tried to Win a Texas That Doesn’t Quite Exist Yet

As I’m writing this, Cruz is ahead by more than 3 percentage points.

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In El Paso, Beto O’Rourke Volunteers Launch Last-Minute GOTV Efforts

The hope is that O’Rourke’s hometown will push him over the edge — if only they can get people to vote.

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Win or Lose, Beto O’Rourke Has Provided a Blueprint for Texas Democrats

What’s that mean for Election Day and beyond?

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The View From Louie Gohmert-Land

East Texas is a microcosm of Beto-Cruz race.

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Beto Talks Texas Turnout in the Final Stretch

The Observer caught up with O’Rourke.

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Inside Beto’s Plan to Turn Out Black Voters in Houston

Black activists are cautiously optimistic — but it’s a huge challenge.

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Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz’s Do-Nothing Record

Cruz can’t help build the future because he’s focused solely on his present.

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Cruz Stuck to the Script. Beto Stuck it to Cruz. Which Tactic Will Work?

O’Rourke finally got aggressive. Cruz stubbornly stuck to The Strategy.

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beto, elections

Has the Beto Bubble Burst?

After a series of polls over the summer predicted a nail-biter, more recent numbers show a reversion to the Texas mean.

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Can Beto O’Rourke Harness the Elusive Power of the College Student Vote?

The latest political phenom thinks he’ll be more effective at courting young voters.

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Ted Cruz’s Fear Factory

Fear, revanchism and chauvinistic Texas tropes: Cruz’s re-election strategy might not be pretty, but that’s not the point.

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Cruz’s Reaction to ‘New Jim Crow’ Comments Ignores the Racist Roots of Mass Incarceration

“I think it is offensive to call police officers modern day Jim Crow.”

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Beto and Ted’s Competing Realities Collide for the First Time

As the first Senate debate showed, this race is quickly becoming defined by the politics of fear and resentment.

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Beto’s Drawing Big Crowds in Small Towns. But What’s His Plan for Rural Texas?

O’Rourke’s rural platform looks to be cogent and cohesive, if still a little skinny.

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Beto Bets on the Border

Will showing up with a high-minded call for border solidarity translate to the historic levels of Latino turnout that O’Rourke needs?

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‘First They Came for Alex Jones’

Ted Cruz’s crusade against Facebook reaches a new extreme.

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On the Road With Beto

Is O’Rourke’s personality-driven campaign reaching the right voters?

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Ted Cruz and State Republicans Make Clear: This is Trump’s Texas Now

At the state GOP convention, Trump reigns supreme — and everyone knows it.

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The Good News (and the Bad) for Beto O’Rourke in that Quinnipiac Poll

O’Rourke is still struggling with some of his inherent weaknesses.

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Beto’s Not the Only Texas Democrat with a Big-Dollar Haul

The year’s first quarterly reports are in — and many Democratic congressional candidates are giving Republicans a run for their money.

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Ted Cruz is Here to Remind You That He’s a Tough Texan

As he ramps up his re-election effort, the country’s least favorite U.S. Senator is still the odds-on favorite.

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Inconsistent Showing in Democratic Primary Raises Questions for Beto O’Rourke

O’Rourke is scoring only 61 percent in his primary.

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Beto Testing

Can Beto O’Rourke’s seat-of-the-pants, DIY, break-the-rules campaign succeed against Ted Cruz?

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Top illustration by Mel Westfall.