The Texas Senate race is heating up, but also coming to an end, as the final debate took place Oct. 16 in San Antonio. Although the debates are over, both candidates are still holding rallies and town halls, as Beto is traveling Texas nonstop, and President Trump headed to Houston this past Monday to support Cruz at his rally. Early voting started Oct. 22 and ends Nov. 2. The election date is Nov. 6.

Senator Ted Cruz and opponent Beto O’Rourke have ran in a very tight race, as a CNN poll from Oct. 16 shows Cruz with a five point lead, but an Ipsos (a global marketing research and consulting firm) poll from Oct. 12 showed Beto with a three point lead.

The last chance to debate or have something similar would have been the CNN Town Hall that took place Oct. 18, but Cruz said he was unable to participate because the two opponents would not be on stage together. This left O’Rourke with the full hour to himself on national television. Beto took questions, like what the reasoning behind his nickname is, if he will ever run for president, and if he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

The Republican party has occupied both U.S. Senate seats for Texas for quite a time, as the last Democrat to occupy a U.S. Senate seat representing Texas was in 1993. Factors like that, as well as the Presidency and current events like the #MeToo movement or kneeling for the pledge, are playing an important role in how Cruz and Beto are shaping their policies and branding themselves.

Beto has ran his campaign in an old-fashioned way; by having small meetings in towns/cities all over Texas. On his instagram, you can see him taking pictures with those voting for him wherever he goes, as well as many stops at Whataburger. On his website (betofortexas.com), the first thing a visitor would see is a picture of Beto smiling with the words “Texas deserves better” underlined in blue. On the homepage of the website, Beto highlights his campaign, saying that he’s visited 254 Texas counties, held 321 town halls, and taken $0 from PACs (political action committees). For more information, visit betofortexas.com.

Taking money from interest groups is something Beto has been strongly against during his campaign, but even then has raised $38 million in a three month period, which broke the record for the most money raised in a Senate race.

Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign hasn’t been drawing as much attention, but for many conservative Texans, voting for him is a no-brainer. On his website (tedcruz.org), a visitor can find his platform, which includes keeping the federal government or “Washington” in limited power, and strict border laws. He stresses how he wants to keep the American Dream alive, and how important family is to him. There’s also a page where one can compare Beto’s and Cruz’s platform and policies, as well as event and volunteer opportunities. For more information on Ted Cruz, his values, and his platform, visit tedcruz.org.

Despite all of Beto’s effort and campaign money, Cruz leads in most polls, and it’s no secret that the incumbent is the most likely to win. Texas is also a majority republican state, so the chances of a democrat like Beto winning are historically low. Although the odds are seemingly against Beto, he hopes to pull off an upset and win one of the two U.S. Senate seats for Texas.