O’Rourke rakes in $9.1M online in August

Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) is raking in cash in his Texas Senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R), bringing in $9.1 million in August alone, according to a new federal filing from ActBlue.

The three-term House Democrat turned heads earlier this year when he raised $10.4 million overall between April and June. Cruz brought in about $4.1 million in the same timeframe, and has raised a total of about $23.7 million so far this year.

{mosads}O’Rourke mounted what appeared to be a longshot bid against Cruz last year. But in recent months, the race has tightened and O’Rourke has showed himself to be an adept fundraiser.

While O’Rourke has thrived at online fundraising, Republicans have sought the support of large donors to boost Cruz’s re-election bid.

Most polls show Cruz leading O’Rourke slightly, but the race remains close.

A Reuters/Ipsos/University of Virginia Center for Politics poll released this week put O’Rourke ahead by 2 points, while another survey by Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling gave Cruz a 3-point lead.

On Friday, the Cook Political Report shifted the race from “leans Republican” to “toss-up.”

The two are set to go head-to-head in their first debate on Friday night.