Emerson Poll: Dead Heat Between Cruz, O'Rourke in Texas Senate Race

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is in a virtual tie with his Democratic challenger, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, according to the latest online poll from Emerson College.

According to the poll, Cruz holds a very slim lead, though O’Rourke is well within the margin of error, with one-fifth of voters still undecided.

• Cruz: 38 percent
• O’Rourke: 37 percent
• Other: 4 percent
• Undecided: 21 percent

Emerson also found that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott holds a 20 vote advantage over his opponent, former Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez, in the gubernatorial race.

• Abbott: 48 percent
• Valdez: 28 percent
• Other: 3 percent
• Undecided: 20 percent

According to Emerson,  Abbott owes his lead to strong support among independent voters, while Cruz is more disliked than liked by independents, leading to lower overall support.

• Independents for Cruz: 25 percent
• Independents for O’Rourke: 38 percent
• Independents for Abbott: 38 percent
• Independents for Valdez: 27 percent

Cruz also has a disadvantage compared to Abbott in that his opponent is more popular and widely known than Abbott’s opponent.

The Emerson e-Poll was conducted from Aug. 22-25, 2018 with 550 registered voters, and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

• Poll: Challenger Beto O'Rourke Within 4 Points of Sen. Ted Cruz
• CNN: Polls, History Point to Ted Cruz Victory