Texas has exceeded its entire 2016 vote, and Ted Cruz is convinced it's a 'real race'

Record-breaking voter turnout just got the Texas treatment.

As of Friday morning, the surprisingly swingy southern state has cast more votes than it did in the entire 2016 election cycle; Hawaii did the same on Thursday. But despite both of Texas' Republican senators being convinced there's a tough competition in the traditionally red state, both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden haven't really campaigned there, The New York Times reports.

Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) tight 2018 race against Democrat Beto O'Rourke was one of the first indications Texas could become a tossup in 2020. Cruz has tried to convince Trump that "we have a fight" in Texas, he tells the Times. "There's no doubt that it's a real race," Cruz added — not unlike the message O'Rourke and former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro have relayed to Biden. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who's fighting Democrat M.J. Hegar for re-election, meanwhile told the Times he could be "outspent by more than 2-to-1" as Democrats pour last-minute cash into the race. FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker meanwhile gives Trump an advantage of about a point in Texas.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Biden doesn't need Texas to win the presidential race, but losing the second-largest electoral state in the country would certainly doom Trump. Read more about why "it's not clear if Trump or Biden fully believe" how critical the state is at The New York Times.