AUSTIN (KXAN) — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz leads his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by 9 points among likely voters, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday.
Ninety-three percent of likely voters have already made up their minds about who they’re going to pick.
“The Texas U.S. Senate race between Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Beto O’Rourke, and Democratic hopes for an upset win there, have boosted talk of a Senate takeover. These numbers may calm that talk,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
“Congressman O’Rourke may be drawing big crowds and media attention, but Texas likely voters like Sen. Cruz better.”
The poll shows Cruz has a 54-45 lead in the Texas Senate race, which also showed most surveyed voters cared most about immigration (27 percent), followed by health care (21 percent), the U.S. Supreme Court (16 percent) and the economy (15 percent).
This is the first Quinnipiac University Poll surveying people who identify themselves as likely voters in the Senate race, compared to previous polls that surveyed registered voters.
The polling shows women are divided in the race, with 50 percent backing Cruz and 48 percent backing O’Rourke. Men back Cruz 57-42 percent.
Black Texas voters are supporting O’Rourke by 97-3 percent, with Hispanic voters supporting O’Rourke 54-45 percent.
White voters, however, are backing Cruz by 66-32 percent, according to the poll.
Republicans are backing Cruz 94-6 percent and Democrats 94-4 percent for O’Rourke, while independent voters are divided with 51 percent going to O’Rourke and 47 percent to Cruz.
In terms of job approval, voters gave the incumbent Cruz a 53-44 percent approval along with a 52-43 percent favorability rating.
O’Rourke has a divided 43-42 percent favorability rating in the poll.
Cruz-O’Rourke Quinnipiac Poll on Scribd
