![]() ![]() O’Rourke himself had been mentioned as a possible 2020 White House contender - but that was dependent on him staying within striking distance of Cruz. ![]() And though he was tested by O’Rourke, avoiding what would have been a monumental upset means that remains a possibility. That’s despite Cruz being one of the fiercest supporters of the president and the policies of the Republican-controlled Congress since then, despite getting to the Senate in 2012 as a tea party insurgent intent on enraging establishment leaders from both parties.Ĭruz, 47, made no secret about wanting to run for president again once Trump leaves office. Still, the race laid bare that many Texas conservatives never forgave Cruz for clashing with Trump at the end of the 2016 presidential primary and for refusing to endorse him at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland - a move many saw as putting personal ambitions over party. He also said O’Rourke’s support for impeaching Trump, relaxing federal immigration policy, decriminalizing marijuana and implementing universal health care were too liberal for even many of the state’s moderate Democrats and independents. “I’m as inspired, I’m as hopeful as I’ve ever been and tonight’s loss does nothing to diminish how I feel about Texas or this country” O’Rourke said.Ĭruz had the support of outside groups but was still being outraised 3-to-1 by the end of the race - a discrepancy he dismissed by saying the “hard left” was energized by outrage at Trump and “Texas will not be bought.”įor months, Cruz refused to entertain the notion that he’d lose, saying there are more Republicans in Texas than Democrats, so all he had to do to win was avoid conservative complacency. O’Rourke, his voice hoarse from the grind of the campaign, told supporters that the campaign would “lead to something far greater than today.” He took a subtle jab at Trump’s vow to build a border wall and at one point uttered an expletive that was captured on live television. Election returns that played briefly on the stadium scoreboard were pulled quickly and replaced with a local rock band on stage. Thousands of supporters who attended O’Rourke’s election party at a minor-league stadium in his native El Paso chanted “Beto, Beto, Beto,” but the crowd got more anxious as word spread that their candidate wasn’t going to prevail. ![]()
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