Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) will have to drive his Dodge Grand Caravan a little faster if he wants to catch up to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
A Quinnipiac University poll published Thursday found that O'Rourke, who is challenging Cruz in the upcoming midterm elections, is still 9 points behind. Cruz has held his 54-45 percent lead, the same lead he held last month. Though O'Rourke hasn't gained any ground with likely voters overall, he has won over more women; 52 percent of women polled said they back him, while 62 percent of men support Cruz.
The campaign is "far from over, but Sen. Cruz would have to suffer a major collapse for him to lose," said Quinnipiac's assistant director Peter Brown. "That is even more unlikely since 97 percent of Cruz voters say they are sure they won't change their minds"
O'Rourke has run close behind Cruz for several months, posing just enough of a threat for Cruz's supporters to launch a new wave of sharp criticism against the congressman. O'Rourke's camp, for their part, have continued to push on Cruz's unpopularity in the Senate. The Democrat has gained something of a cult following, both from Texans who want to flip the seat and Democrats all over the country hoping for a blue wave. Despite his growing fandom, however, O'Rourke may be out of luck in the largely red state: 94 percent of Republicans say they are sticking with Cruz.
The poll was conducted Oct. 3-9, surveying 730 likely voters in Texas by phone. The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points. See more results at Quinnipiac University. Summer Meza
Having spent much of his career living in Maine (and writing about scary stuff happening in it), Stephen King is moving to the second spookiest state in America: Flooooooridaaaaa.
In preparation for the move, the author has received approval to re-zone his famous home in Maine as a nonprofit, which will serve as both a museum for King's archive and a retreat for up to five writers. And if you're thinking "five writers staying at Stephen King's mansion" sounds like a great setup for a horror novel, you should probably apply for a residency. Read more at People. Scott Meslow
The '90s teen movie Clueless became a breakout hit due, in large part, to Alicia Silverstone's star-making performance as the fashion-obsessed Cher Horowitz. So what is Hollywood, in its infinite wisdom, planning next? A Clueless reboot without Cher Horowitz.
The proposed Clueless TV series would follow Cher's best friend Dionne as she does her best to solve the mystery of Cher's disappearance — so let's hope they won't be taking the title Clueless too literally this time. Read more at The Hollywood Reporter. Scott Meslow
Joe Biden's ice cream problem is costing his campaign — $3,800, to be exact.
That's how much Biden spent in one go at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2020 campaign to purchase "donor gifts," Politico reports via public campaign finance reports. But it's far from a surprising purchase for the ice cream-loving former vice president. Well, at least not as surprising as how much Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) spent on shoelaces.
Campaign finance reports are often used to scrutinize how much candidates spend on private flights and other luxury-adjacent services. The charter flight crown has so far gone to Biden, who spent $924,000 on the service and also carbon offsets for the flights, his campaign says. But Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) tops the Uber pool, racking up nearly $23,000 on ride-hailing services of a combined $136,000 among candidates, Politico reports.
In more unusual purchases, candidates have so far spent more than $7,000 on flowers, with South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg spending the most at $3,100. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang meanwhile bought $3,100 worth of "campaign attire," which is a Federal Election Commission violation Yang's campaign said it'd rectify.
Perhaps the most absurd purchase comes from Swalwell, who was one of the first candidates to drop out of the race. He later transferred his 2020 funds to his congressional re-election campaign, and used $7,000 of it to buy shoelaces printed with "#Swalwelling." Find more campaign spending highlights at Politico. Kathryn Krawczyk
Peggy Noonan, who served as a speechwriter for former President Ronald Reagan, is forecasting possible trouble ahead in President Trump's impeachment trial.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer in a new Wall Street Journal op-ed observes that Trump's acquittal in the Senate "is likely but not fated," seeing a "mood shift" on impeachment and writing that there are reasons to believe "the situation is more fluid than we realize."
She cites as one reason Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently saying the Senate's probable impeachment trial could be fairly lengthy at between six and eight weeks; for comparison, the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton was five weeks.
"His decision also gives room for the unexpected — big and serious charges that sweep public opinion and change senators' votes," Noonan says. "...Serious and dramatic hearings would move the needle on public opinion, tripping it into seriously negative territory for the president. And if the needle moves, the Senate will move in the same direction."
Noonan does think that Trump pushing for Ukraine to conduct investigations that might benefit him politically "probably isn't enough," but what may be is "serious and sincere professionals who testify believably that the administration is corrupt and its corruption has harmed the country." And, she notes, it doesn't help that Trump continues to "let his inner crazy flourish daily and dramatically." Read the full op-ed at The Wall Street Journal. Brendan Morrow