A new poll released Thursday morning showed Sen. Ted Cruz maintaining a solid lead over Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
With just under four weeks to go before Election Day, the Quinnipiac University Poll showed Cruz ahead by 9 percentage points -- the same lead Quinnipiac found in a survey of likely Texas voters three weeks ago, suggesting that O'Rourke's momentum has stalled and that Cruz's risk is fading.
The 9-point edge in last month's polls was by far the largest lead the senator had enjoyed in months and it stood out as a potential outlier after a summer of polls showing a much closer contest. The very next day, a Reuters/Ipsos survey showed O'Rourke ahead by 2 points.
U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-El Paso) was at NBC 5 for a taping of Lone Star Politics on Thursday. We asked him about the new poll numbers.
"I don't know that that poll reflects the enthusiasm, the excitement, the energy that we are seeing and feeling," said O'Rourke.
O'Rourke was asked if the polls widening will change what he does in the home stretch of the campaign.
"We are going to continue to show up everywhere for everyone every single day. It is what we have been doing for more than 20 months. It has allowed us to be in this position to be in contention, to be able to represent every single person in Texas," said O'Rourke.
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NBC 5 Political Reporter Julie Fine also contributed to this report.
