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EL PASO, Tex. – Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was re-elected on Tuesday in one of the country's tightest races, winning the best-funded and most popular Democrats victory in Texas for years, representing Beto O. & # 39; Rourke.
The narrow victory of Mr. Cruz, reported by the Associated Press, has done more than rush in the hope that the party can win a Senate seat in Texas for the first time since 1988. He promised to restore the status of Mr Cruz as a far-right force. American politics, after many leaders of his own party wondered whether he was kind enough to run against a successful candidate such as Mr. O. Rourke, a Congressman from El Paso known for his charisma.
Even before the results arrived, Mr. Cruz and his collaborators were confident, but recognized the proximity of the race.
"The closest counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades – everything else is a win," said Ron Nehring, a senior adviser to Mr. Cruz, during an interview one hour before closing. polling stations. "We are optimistic, we will win."
Republican strategists and insiders said that the tight victory of Mr. Cruz did not mean that Democrats could make substantial gains in Texas. They thought rather that it had more to do with Mr. Cruz himself, one of the most controversial political figures in the state, and with the anti-Trump energy of Democrats.
Republican and independent voters voted for O'Rourke but also voted for top Republicans from other constituencies. Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican whose views are consistent with those of Mr. Cruz but whose style is much less abrasive, easily re-elected, and a considerable number of Republicans seem to have divided their votes for Mr. Abbott and Mr. O & # 39; Rourke.
"It was political nitroglycerin early in the campaign," said Ted Delisi, Republican political consultant in Austin, chief strategist for Senator John Cornyn's campaign in 2002. "Beto O'Rourke could not have led this race against John Cornyn. He could not have run this race against Greg Abbott. This race was to be played against Ted Cruz, and this year. It was a unique opportunity, once every 20 years.
For months during the election campaign, Mr. Cruz was most often behind, a surprising position for a senior Republican exercise representative in a state where Democrats do not exercise any mandate at all. scale of the state.
Mr. Cruz's fundraising was well below that of his opponent – he had raised just over $ 40 million, against more than $ 70 million collected by Mr. O'Rourke – and sometimes found himself eclipsed on other fronts.
At some rallies, Mr. O'Rourke attracted larger crowds than Mr. Cruz, including more than 50,000 people who attended a free concert by Mr. O'Rourke in Austin with the legend of music country Willie Nelson. Even the rival event of Mr. Cruz – President Trump's rally in Houston that drew 19,000 people – reinforced the belief of his critics that Republicans were worried.
Party officials acknowledged that Cruz's campaign underestimated the threat posed by O'Rourke at the start of the race and was slow to pick up speed.
Against this backdrop, Mr. Cruz presented his speech by calling Mr O'Rourke a tax-friendly, anti-police liberal who favored illegal immigrants over American citizens and "ran to the left of Bernie Sanders".
Throughout the campaign, Mr. Cruz had to repeatedly explain his relationship with Mr. Trump. After Mr. Cruz's candidacy for the Republican nomination to the presidency failed in 2016, the senator initially refused to support Mr. Trump, but then embraced it with enthusiasm, even though Mr. Trump was laughed at and humiliated the wife and father of Mr. Cruz.
His exchanges with the president made Mr. Cruz unattractive to many Texans and allowed Mr. O'Rourke to attract some Republican votes – but ultimately not enough to change the polls. And it was clear that many voters believed in Mr. Cruz's speech: Mr. O'Rourke was too liberal for Texas on many issues, including the border, health care, taxes and gun rights. fire.
[[[[What to watch as live results arrive across the country.]
Brenda Brauch, 66, a retired grandmother who voted Tuesday in a wealthy part of northwestern Austin and considered herself independent, said she had voted for Mr. Cruz, but that it was a clash between him and Mr. O'Rourke. What made the difference for her is immigration and border security.
"I do not want open borders," she said. "I think there should be the right path to get to a country and the wrong one." She added about Mr. O'Rourke: "I love his enthusiasm, but I think he lacks points. The border is a real problem for me.
Sometimes Mr. O'Rourke's tightly watched candidacy seemed to draw a page from Mr. Cruz's playbook.
In 2012, Mr. Cruz became a conservative rock star when he opposed the Texas political class and defeated a powerful lieutenant governor during a second Republican tour for the seat of the Senate. Mr. Cruz was an insurgent backed by the Tea Party whose grassroots campaign had drawn the country's attention.
In 2018, however, it was Mr. O'Rourke who played the role of basic insurgent and Mr. Cruz who represented the institution. It was a role that seemed to please Mr. Cruz as he passed from rally to warn voters that Texas's long-standing culture and identity were being attacked by the left.
"Do not do California, our Texas – you're absolutely right," said Cruz to his supporters in the city of Tyler, East Texas, echoing a phrase used by a woman of the audience. "Every time freedom is threatened," he added, "Texans are up to the task."
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