On Tuesday night, O’Rourke attempted to woo any remaining undecided voters by shedding the nice-guy persona that had helped propel him to almost leveling with Cruz in earlier polling (Loren Elliott)

Chicago (AFP) – Beto O’Rourke, whose upstart campaign gave Democrats hope of an unexpected political victory in deeply red Texas, is slipping in the polls three weeks before crucial midterm elections determine control of the US Congress.

O’Rourke had come within striking distance of overtaking incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz — causing so much excitement of a potential rout that donations have been pouring in. Over the last three months, he raised a record $38.1 million. 

But in recent weeks, O’Rourke has been falling behind — trailing Cruz in voter surveys by an average of seven points as the November 6 election nears. 

Early voting in the solidly conservative Lone Star state begins next week, and President Donald Trump was scheduled to hold a rally there Monday to give Cruz a further boost. 

At stake is whether Republicans will lose their control of one or both chambers of the US Congress, determining whether the White House will continue to be able to set the legislative agenda or head off a possible impeachment effort against Trump that could result from the Russia collusion investigation.

On Tuesday night, O’Rourke attempted to woo any remaining undecided voters by shedding the nice-guy persona that had helped propel him to almost leveling with Cruz in earlier polling. 

He even borrowed a phrase Trump used to help defeat Cruz for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential race.

“He’s dishonest. It’s why the president called him ‘Lyin’ Ted,’ and it’s why the nickname stuck, because it’s true,” O’Rourke said.

The pro-immigration congressman from the border city of El Paso accused the Republican senator of refusing to stand up to Trump, while Cruz countered that the Democrat was too liberal for Texas, where gun rights are sacrosanct and many support building a border wall.  

“It’s clear Congressman O’Rourke’s pollsters have told him to come out on the attack, so if he wants to insult me and call me a liar, that’s fine,” Cruz said. 

Riding a backlash against Trump’s policies and behavior over the last two years in office, O’Rourke has become a darling of the left. 

The charismatic ex-punk rocker — the subject of numerous glowing profiles in the US media — came closer than political experts expected to overtaking Cruz. 

But the state has not voted to send a Democrat to the Senate in 30 years. And voter surveys over the last two weeks have consistently shown Cruz pulling ahead. 

Only nine percent of voters said they might still change how they plan to vote, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday.  

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