Another poll shows tightening Senate race
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is still leading Democratic rival Rep. Beto O’Rourke in every public poll, but it is far closer than most experts expected a year ago.
The latest poll released on Wednesday by NBC News and Marist College in New York shows Cruz with a 4-point lead over O’Rourke. About 49 percent of registered voters in Texas say they’ll back Cruz, while 45 percent say they’d vote for O’Rourke. The poll showed 6 percent of the 970 polled said they were undecided.
Cruz is dominating with white voters and men, the poll showed. Among white voters, Cruz was getting 57 percent of the vote compared to 37 percent for O’Rourke. Among men, Cruz had 56 percent of the vote compared to 39 percent for O’Rourke.
O’Rourke does best with Latino voters and women. Among Latinos, 53 percent said they’ll vote for O’Rourke versus 42 percent for Cruz. Among women, 51 percent said they’ll support O’Rourke, with 41 percent for Cruz.
The results are in line with what two other polls released earlier this month showed. A Quinnipiac University poll showed Cruz up by 6 percentage points. A Texas Lyceum poll showed Cruz up by 2 percentage points.
Cruz has questioned some of the specifics of the polling while on the campaign, but has told supporters at campaign stops throughout the state that he is taking the race “deadly serious.”