Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, has framed his run for the Senate as a way to inspire people who have never voted to support him, but he's now facing a challenge around voter turnout, a new report claims.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with O'Rourke as he campaigned for the seat currently held by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. He told the paper he's aiming to inspire new voters for the upcoming midterm elections.
"The whole premise of this campaign is if we show up everywhere, for everyone and don't allow our differences, including party or geography to define us, we're going to bring people who would otherwise sit out a midterm election year," O'Rourke said. "I don't have a pollster who can prove it statistically, but I feel it, I see it, I hear it everywhere I go in Texas."
During campaign speeches, according to the Journal, O'Rourke has called Texas "a nonvoting state." He has, however, declined to hire a pollster to gauge the true support of his candidacy. That has sparked questions of whether he is actually inspiring voters to show up and give him their vote.
The latest RealClear Politics polling average shows Cruz has a 4.6-point lead over O'Rourke roughly one month before Election Day.
O'Rourke, 46, was first elected to the House in 2012 and was re-elected in 2014 and 2016. He is not seeking a fourth term in the House this year as he tries to unseat Cruz.
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