Beto O'Rourke Launches 2018 Senate Campaign in Underdog Bid to Challenge Ted Cruz

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz will face a Democratic challenger in 2018.El Paso Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a relative newcomer on the Texas political scene with a colorful background as a former tech entrepreneur and punk rocker, launched his longshot campaign Friday in hopes of becoming the first Texas Democrat elected to the Senate in three decades.O’Rourke has been openly considering a run even since at least early November, and he has toured the state in recent months while barely veiling his intentions.In an interview this week with The Dallas Morning News, O’Rourke expressed an awareness of the improbable odds he faces but a gut-level determination to get involved in the race.“I’m under no illusions this will be anything but hard in a primary and anything but hard in a general election. Nothing I’ve ever done that’s amounted to anything has been easy,” O’Rourke said. “My heart’s in it, I want to do this, I'm driven to do it. I'm not poll-testing it. I'm not consulting with consultants.   Continue reading...