(AP) – Republican Sen. Ted Cruz fended off rising-star Democrat Beto O’Rourke to win re-election in a much-watched Texas race that began as a cakewalk but needed a visit from President Donald Trump to help push the incumbent over the top.
Cruz finished a surprising second in the 2016 Republican presidential primary and began the Senate race as a prohibitive favorite.
But O’Rourke visited fiercely conservative parts of the state that his party had long since given up on, while shattering fundraising records despite shunning donations from outside political groups and pollster advice.
Cruz argued that his opponent’s support for gun control and universal health care were too liberal for Texas.
Trump and Cruz were bitter 2016 rivals, but the president visited Houston late last month to solidify the senator’s win.
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