Ted Cruz congratulates Beto O'Rourke 'he poured his heart into this campaign'
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Texas voters have re-elected Republican Ted Cruz to the US Senate after a tight battle with Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
The Senate seat for the Lone Star state remains ruby red after the historic 2018 midterms, though analysts said Mr O’Rourke brought a wave of Democratic voters to the ballots and could prove a viable candidate in the 2020 presidential elections.
His candidacy may have proven beneficial for Democrats like Gina Ortiz Jones whose bid to win the House of Representatives seat of Republican Will Hurd in the state’s 23rd district was too close to call.
Mr Cruz was not the only Republican to fight back against Democrats threatening the GOP’s hold on the region, however.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also won a second term by defeating Democrat Lupe Valdez in a race whose outcome was seldom in doubt.
US midterm elections: voters head to the polls
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Mr Cruz congratulated Mr O’Rourke during a celebratory speech on Tuesday night, saying his opponent “poured his heart” into the race.
Meanwhile, Mr O’Rourke said he was “so f****** proud” of his supporters in a viral concession speech that essentially left the door open to his running against Donald Trump in 2020.
The president played a key role in the US Senate race, throwing his support behind Mr Cruz and stumping for the Republican despite the two previously hurling exchanges towards each other in the 2016 presidential election.
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Ted Cruz has reportedly defeated Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke in Texas, securing another term as senator for the Lone Star state after a contentious battle.
The Republican incumbent faced a historic challenge in Mr O’Rourke, an El Paso Democrat who captured the nation with a progressive campaign calling for unity in the reliably red state. However, Donald Trump threw his support behind Mr Cruz, stumping for the conservative senator in the final weeks of the election despite the two previously exchanging insults during the 2016 general elections.
Elsewhere, Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar, in the Texas 29th district and the Texas 16th district respectively have become the first Latina's to represent Texas in the House
Even though he lost, Beto O'Rourke's campaign will be held up as an example to others.
Mr O'Rourke grabbed glowing national headlines by visiting all 254 Texas counties and often drawing large crowds — even in fiercely conservative areas other Democrats had long since written off.
He raked in donations from across the country and even set a new record for Senate campaign fundraising by collecting more than $38 million in the three-month period from July through September alone. All told, he raised more than $70 million.
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