Sen. Cruz still faces a single-digit re-election challenge, according to a new poll.
A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll shows Mr. Cruz leading U.S. Rep. Colin Allred 51% to 44%. It also found that voters had a more favorable view of Mr. Cruz than his lesser-known Democratic opponent.
The survey comes as Democrats, who are defending several seats in the Senate this year, are among the few who feel optimistic about the race turning around.
Earlier this month, election expert Cook Political Report downgraded the Texas senator’s ranking in the race from “likely Republican” to the less favorable “lean Republican.” And Mr. Cruz leads Mr. Allred by 4.5 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
With polls in the single digits and some showing Allred in the lead, Democrats poured millions of dollars into the race in hopes of defeating the incumbent Republican.
Democrats are also spending heavily in Florida, where they believe they have a chance to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Scott. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced last month that it was making “multi-million dollar” ad buys in both states.
“Senate Democrats continue to expand and attack,” DSCC Chairman Sen. Peters said in a statement about the ad campaign.
“The DSCC has been preparing to take advantage of Sen. Cruz and Sen. Scott’s vulnerable position in the states all cycle, and now efforts in Texas and Florida are accelerating.” added.
Democrats are pinning their hopes on a win in Texas, but this is not the first time in Cruz’s Senate career that he has faced a close race. In 2018, he ran against Congressman Beto O’Rourke.
The Texas Politics Project noted that an October 2018 poll showed Mr. Cruz leading Mr. O’Rourke 51% to 45% and winning 50.9% to 48.3%.
Six years later, some of the dynamics of where both candidates draw their support remain the same. But the latest Texas Politics Project poll shows the Republican senator trails Mr. Allred in urban areas by just 5 points, compared with 2018, when he trailed Mr. O’Rourke by more than 30 points. The difference has narrowed significantly.
Additionally, the latest polls found that Mr. Cruz and Mr. Allred are statistically tied among Hispanic voters. In 2019, O’Rourke held a nearly 30-point lead in this tier.
The Texas Politics Project poll is the second this week to show Mr. Cruz widening his lead. A University of Houston poll released Wednesday showed him leading Allred by 4 points, up from 2 points in August.