The candidates to Texas' Senate seat engaged in a heated debate on Tuesday as the elections get closer by the day.
It was perhaps the best chance for Democratic Rep. Colin Allred to make a final push to unseat incumbent Senator Ted Cruz as the race has narrowed throughout the past months to the current razor-thin margins.
Both candidates predictably claimed they ended up on top after the often-heated exchange, where they called each other "extremist" and sought to present themselves as the best option for the state.
Cruz, however, also focused on his campaign's need for additional donations, highlighting that his opponent is outraising him and the consequent advantage it gives him in the home stretch.
"I'm getting pounded every day. A recent poll showed a one-point race. We're getting viciously outspent, so I'm appreciative of your viewers going to my website and contributing. I need your help and support," Cruz said in an interview with Fox News after the event.
In that context, Cruz's opponent in the 2018 Senate race, Beto O'Rourke, spoke to CNN to share his views about the current state of the context. Visibly optimistic, he said Cruz is "absolutely flailing." "It's the best pickup opportunity for Democrats," O'Rourke added.
"It's all the people who have been donating to Colin Allred who have allowed him to have a real shot at winning. This impacts the entire country: the balance of power in the Senate, the future of abortion and access to reproductive healthcare. We have a chance to elect a common sense senator from the State of Texas in Colin Allred. I'm feeling so optimistic and hopeful, especially after the debate, and looking forward to permanently retiring Ted Cruz."
Allred announced last week that his campaign raised more than $30 million over the last three months, outpacing Cruz, who raised around $21 million during the same period.
Both candidates have raised $132 million collectively since the start of the race, which is expected to be one of the most expensive Texas Senate races in the Lone Star state's history.
Allred has so far outpaced Cruz in every quarter. His campaign reported collecting 1.8 million individual contributions and $68.7 million in total receipts since its launch, along with contributions from 252 of Texas' 254 counties and an average donation of $36.57. In the press release announcing Allred's third-quarter fundraising results, campaign manager Paige Hutchinson voiced confidence less than a month from the elections, saying "This November, Colin Allred will send Ted Cruz packing for good."
Cruz closed out the third quarter – which ran from July through September – with $16.2 million cash across his three accounts, which include a leadership PAC that cannot spend directly on his reelection and a joint fundraising committee that sends money to Cruz's campaign account, the Texas Tribune reported. The amount of cash available for Allred's campaign at the moment is unknown.
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