Cruz Highlights Hurricane Relief Work in First TV Ad
Texas Republican faces challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke
Sen. Ted Cruz released his first ad in his re-election bid highlighting his efforts to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey last year.
The ad says Cruz “brought home billions in disaster relief” and passed tax relief for people affected by the hurricane over scenes of the senator touring hard-hit areas and comforting survivors.
A news release said the ad will be played in the Beaumont media market, which is near the Texas-Louisiana border and one of the harder-hit areas. The Beaumont market is also one of the less expensive of the 20 media markets in the state.
Cruz’s First TV Ad Focuses on Hurricane Harvey Recovery
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The ad ends with saying “When the hurricane hit, you stood up for Texas and Ted Cruz stood up for you.”
Cruz’s campaign did not respond directly to questions about the size of the ad buy or how long it will be on the airwaves.
But campaign spokeswoman Emily Miller said in a statement, “Between now and November, Ted Cruz will be informing voters of his own record of accomplishment as well as the stark differences between him and his opponent.”
The first-term Republican is running against Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who has outraised Cruz so far in the race.
The ad comes as two polls released this week showed Cruz and O’Rourke’s race tightening.
One from Quinnipiac University showed Cruz with a 6-point lead, 49 percent to O’Rourke’s 43 percent.
A Texas Lyceum poll released Wednesday showed a tighter race with Cruz ahead 41 percent to 39 percent.
O’Rourke is currently on a 34-day statewide campaign swing while the House is on its summer recess.
End Citizens United PAC, a Democratic outside spending group, announced a poll found Cruz beating O’Rourke by four points.
The surveyed conducted by Public Policy Polling showed Cruz had the support of 46 percent of people polled while O’Rourke was at 42 percent.
Last week, O’Rourke released his first ad featuring streaming footage of him traveling across Texas. So far, the ad is only online, O’Rourke’s campaign confirmed to Roll Call.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates Texas’ Senate race Likely Republican.
Bridget Bowman contributed to this report.