How Texas stayed in Cruz Control

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has fended off rising-star Democrat Beto O’Rourke to win re-election in a much-watched Texas Senate race.

“We saw an assault that was unprecedented,” Sen. Cruz said during his victory speech. “We saw a hundred million-dollar race with Hollywood coming in against the state, with the national media coming in against the state. But all the money in the world was no match for the good people of Texas and the hard working men and women across our state.”

O’Rourke visited fiercely conservative areas, visiting all 254 counties in the state, and racked up more than more than $38 million in the three-month period from July through September, surpassing $70 in total.

At Southwest University Park Stadium Tuesday, 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.

During the race, polls eventually got close enough that President Trump visited Houston on Cruz’s behalf.

In order to have won, ABC-7’s exclusive election Analyst Bob Moore said O’Rourke needed to claim victory

In 12 counties, notably in the seven largest in the state: Harris (Houston), Dallas, Bexar (San Antonio), Travis (Austin), Tarrant (Fort Worth), El Paso and Hidalgo (McAllen.)

O’Rourke won those counties, and with a majority vote in many of them. But Moore said O’Rourke also had to win over traditional Republic strongholds in suburban counties surrounding Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin.

Cruz, 47, made no secret about wanting to run for president again once Trump leaves office.