Republican Sen. Ted Cruz wins a second term by defeating Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, stopping Democrats’ most aggressive attempt in decades to win a statewide office in Texas.
Cruz had 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for O’Rourke when the race was called.
Texas hasn’t had a Democratic senator since 1994, but O’Rourke — a third-term congressman who speaks fluent Spanish — ran an energetic and well-funded campaign that captured attention from Democrats nationally.
