Cruz’s Democratic challenger officially files for Senate

Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) has officially filed to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2018.

O’Rourke, who has served in Congress since 2013, announced in late March that he would take on Cruz next year. It’ll be an uphill battle for O’Rourke, since no Democrat has won a Senate election in Texas since 1988.

“Today’s filing is not only a chance to recommit ourselves to this critical race, but to recommit to running it in the right way: being present, accountable, candid, transparent and powering each step of the way by people not PACs,” O’Rourke said on Monday.

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O’Rourke, who filed his candidacy for Senate alongside local and state Democratic leaders, detailed the last eight months since he announced his bid, which included holding 85 public events across Texas and visiting more than 155 counties.

He said he’ll spend most of December traveling around the state and will hit 30 counties ahead of the end-of-the-month holidays.

O’Rourke has raised nearly $2.8 million since he jumped into the race, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. But Cruz, who’s also a prolific fundraiser, has nearly twice as much cash on hand, with nearly $5.7 million.

O’Rourke gained an endorsement from the national progressive group Progressive Change Campaign Committee back when he announced in March, and has since enjoyed other support.

But with a tough Senate map for the party, where they need to defend 10 seats in states that President Trump carried, Texas’s Senate seat likely won’t be a top fundraising priority for national Democrats.