As the midterms approach, voters take a look at what each candidate has to offer— namely Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz who are racing for the position of Texas senator.

Ted Cruz

Senator Ted Cruz is the current Republican incumbent running for reelection in the state of Texas in the 2018 midterm election. The junior senator is perhaps best known for his 21-hour Senate speech that delayed the passage of federal budget during the October 2013 government shutdown in order to defund the Affordable Care Act. This earned him respect among conservatives as Rick Manning of Americans for Limited Government named Cruz “2013 Person of the Year.” Besides his speech, Cruz introduced 38 bills and cosponsored 133 bills in 2017, two of his introduced bills being passed into law. Predictions for the future: I believe Cruz will win this election, but I think the success of Beto O’Rourke is a message for the Republican and Democratic parties of Texas from here on out. As the Hispanic community becomes the majority rolling into 2020 and the Anglo community begins to lose their dominance over the state, I believe Texas will definitely become a swing state by 2020 and then become more blue as Texas becomes more diverse and more large businesses move in from California and the Northeast.

“Beto” O’Rourke

“Beto” O’Rourke is a house Democrat in the state of TX running to dethrone the junior incumbent senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 primary election. O’Rourke is the father of two daughters and a son. O’Rourke studied at Columbia and moved back to El Paso to co-found Stanton Street Technology in 1998, then served on local government councils before running for a seat in the house. While in the house of representative, O’Rourke voted in defense of Obamacare, in support of gun safety and the dreamers (recipients of DACA). Over the course of campaign, he has been emphasizing his bipartisanship. O’Rourke has become a cultural phenomenon for his wide fan base, which includes whites, hispanics, the LGBTQ community, women and students. Now is the most decisive time for people to decide the candidate that is best for them.