O’Rourke outraises Cruz in underdog ’18 bid to unseat him

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke has outraised U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz while beginning his underdog bid to unseat the incumbent Republican next year.

In a Facebook post Thursday, O’Rourke said his 2018 Senate campaign took in more than $2 million through the end of June. His campaign war chest was worth nearly $1.9 million, and O’Rourke says he won’t take PAC funding.

Spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said Cruz raised $1.6 million in 2017’s second quarter, and had $5.7 million in cash on-hand.

A Democrat hasn’t won statewide office in Texas since 1994 and Cruz finished second in 2016’s Republican presidential primary. Still, O’Rourke insists he’s beatable.

O’Rourke announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on March 31,2017.

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