WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Republican Senator Ted Cruz, R-Tex., and Democratic Congressman Beto O'Rourke, R-Tex., are essentially tied in a Quinnipiac University poll of the closely watched Senate race in Texas.
Forty-seven percent of Texas voters said they would support Cruz if the election were held today, while 44 percent said they would vote for O'Rourke. Cruz' narrow three-point lead is within the poll's margin of error.
'Democrats have had a target on Sen. Ted Cruz's back, and they may be hitting the mark,' said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll.
He added, 'Once expected to 'cruise' to reelection, the incumbent is in a tight race with Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke.'
The poll found wide party, gender, age and racial gaps, with Cruz leading among Republicans, men, older voters, and white voters and O'Rourke leading among Democrats, women, younger voters, and non-white voters.
O'Rourke has a 51 percent to 37 percent advantage among independent voters, who Brown said may be key in deciding the race.
'Texas remains a strong GOP state so O'Rourke will need the independent strength to pull the upset,' Brown said.
The survey showed Cruz with a 47 percent to 45 percent job approval rating and a 46 percent to 44 percent favorability rating.
O'Rourke has a 30 percent to 16 percent favorability rating, although 53 percent of Texas voters said they don't know enough about him to form an opinion.
The Quinnipiac poll of 1,029 Texas voters was conducted April 12th through 17th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
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