The poll, conducted Aug. 22-25, gave Cruz 38 percent of the vote and O’Rourke 37 percent, while another 21 percent of respondents were undecided. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
Recent polls have put Cruz a few points ahead of O’Rourke in the highly visible U.S. Senate race. A victory by the El Paso upstart would be a major upset since Democrats haven’t won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
According to the Emerson poll, Cruz’s biggest challenge is in seizing a second senate term is swaying independent voters. He had a 57 percent unfavorable rating with the group and only 25 percent found him favorable.
O’Rourke also had an upper hand with Texans between the ages of 18 and 34, who favor him 45 percent to 28 percent. Cruz’s strength was among voters 55 to 74 by 14 points, where he leads 45 percent to 37 percent.
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This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2018.
