Beto O’Rourke: Who is the Texas midterms candidate battling Ted Cruz in Senate race?

As the US midterm elections edge closer, Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke is ramping up his campaign to unseat Texas’ Republican senator Ted Cruz.

The 46-year-old congressman is considered a rising star in his party, and has been boosted by a surge of grassroots support since entering the race last March.

If the left-leaning politician manages to beat Mr Cruz next month in the traditionally conservative state, he would become Texas’ first Democratic senator since 1994.

The battle between the pair has attracted widespread attention because the Lone Star State is seen as one of the Democrats’ best chances to gain control of the US Senate. The Democrats must pick up two seats nationwide to win a Senate majority. This would allow the party to block Donald Trump’s agenda.

After beginning his career as a businessman Mr O’Rourke moved into politics in 2005. At 32 he was elected to the El Paso City Council. The Democrat joined the House of Representatives in 2012 after successfully running to represent Texas’ 16th congressional district, winning 65 per cent of the vote.

His campaign to unseat Mr Cruz has been largely funded by small donors and he raised over $38 million between July and September, the biggest quarterly haul of any Senate candidate in history.

He is a firm supporter of universal healthcare, has called for new gun-control laws and believes marijuana should be legalised.

Despite his grassroots support, the Democratic hopeful is flagging behind the former Republican presidential candidate in recent opinion polls. A CNN poll of 716 likely Texas voters, conducted by SSRS last week, put Mr Cruz on 52 per cent with Mr O’Rourke on 45 per cent.

Mr Cruz has made gains by repeatedly highlighting his rival’s liberal stances on key issues which he believes are out of step with Texan voters.

During a televised debate earlier this week, Mr Cruz said: “Every time there is a choice between left-wing national activists and the people of Texas, he goes with left-wing national activists.”

Mr O’Rourke hit back by accusing Mr Cruz for his unwillingness to stand up to Donald Trump on a number of issues. He claimed the senator had failed to stop the president from pushing trade tariffs that would hurt Texas farmers and businesses.

The US president is due to appear at a campaign rally in Houston next Monday in support of Mr Cruz and other Texas Republicans.

After this week’s debate, Mr Trump praised Mr Cruz for securing cuts in taxes and regulations and protecting gun rights.

He tweeted: “Beto O’Rourke, who wants higher taxes and far more regulations, is not in the same league with Ted Cruz and what the great people of Texas stand for and want. Ted is strong on crime, the border and second amendment, loves our military, veterans, low taxes. Beto is a flake!”