It’s been awhile since Texas has seen a Senate race like the one between Senator Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke. It is more than a choice between Republican and Democrat. Texans must choose between a conservative senator, one who has proven he shares many of our concerns and values, and the Democratic challenger who seems more interested in honing his national image than in listening to what’s important to his constituency.

It is easy to worry about Senator Cruz’s chance for re-election. It seems barely a week goes by when Beto isn’t on some national talk show. He appeared on Ellen. He’s been interviewed in Rolling Stone. And let’s not forget his appearance on Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Joe Kennedy III will be appearing with him later this month to help drum up support. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize he is being groomed for bigger and better things by the DNC. The problem is Texas will suffer if he does somehow manage to defeat Cruz.

The election is far from decided. A number of conservatives have expressed concern. Everywhere you turn, you find O’Rourke campaign signs. Drive through many neighborhoods and the signs for Beto far outnumber those for Senator Cruz. For much of the campaign season, the media and polls have gleefully rubbed their hands together, telling us how their darling Beto is going to trounce Ted Cruz.

Except. . . .

Texas has been a Red State for several decades now. Our U. S. Senators are Republicans, as are our governor, lieutenant governor and every other statewide office holder.

But that hasn’t stopped Beto and his handlers.

You just raised a record-breaking $38.1 million in three months. From 802,836 contributions. No PACs, no special interests, no corporations. All people, all the time, everywhere, every single day. pic.twitter.com/IDMFNFwezB

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 12, 2018

The problem with that? You can raise all the money in the world but if the voters don’t turn out for you, it means squat.

You can poll ahead of your opponent most of the campaign season and still loose. That’s a lesson Hillary Clinton and the DNC is still finding hard to swallow.

After months of Beto leading Cruz in the polls, the tide has turned. The latest polls show Cruz has not only caught up to O’Rourke but has pulled ahead. The cries and panicked beating of chests has already begun. Vanity Fair has a new post about the election and the title says it all.

Conservatives need to remember two things. First, appearances aren’t everything. The fact Cruz doesn’t have as many yard signs out O’Rourke doesn’t mean he’s already lost the race. In my part of the state during the 2016 election, the Clinton signs far outnumbered Trump’s. Yet voters turned out for Trump.

And that brings us to the second thing to remember. The only number that counts at the end of the day is the number of votes cast. We can’t get complacent just because Trump won the White House. We can’t sit back and assume the election is won because Cruz finally leads in the polls. We need to get out and vote. We need to make sure our friends and family have the chance to vote as well. Complacency will lose the election more surely than a strong opponent.

Texans need to pay attention to the questions being asked, and the hopes being pinned, on O’Rourke:

‘Is Beto O’Rourke the Left’s Obama-like Answer to Trump in 2020?’ asked Vanity Fair. ‘Beto O’Rourke Could Be the Democrat Texas Has Been Waiting For,’ offered BuzzFeed. . . He exudes youth (he’s 46). Cruz looks old (he’s 47). He makes reporters nostalgic for the 1960s by conjuring the spirit of Robert Kennedy, complete with the bangs, the teeth, the rolled-up sleeves, the paeans to the oppressed, the uplift and the liberal platitudes. . . f you were covering the Texas contest, wouldn’t you rather spend your time skateboarding at the Whataburger with O’Rourke than watching Cruz cook pig with a firearm?”

What you don’t see in all this is what O’Rourke stands for, a Democratic platform that has little in common with the goals and values of most Texans.

There is one more thing to consider when watching this race. Whether you live in Texas or not, take note of how much attention the DNC is giving O’Rourke. They are desperate to retake the Senate. They will do almost anything to defeat Ted Cruz. But there is more. The DNC is fighting tooth and nail to secure its goals, its platforms not just on a national level but on a local and state level as well. That takes precedence over the needs and wants of the local voters. If they manage to win in Texas, they will move on to the next state and the next and then the next. Beyond that, it is obvious they are grooming O’Rourke to be the next Obama or Bill Clinton. The cult of the personality lives with O’Rourke. Is that really what we want? I don’t know about you, but it isn’t what most Texans want.

We can’t let them win. We need to educate ourselves and help educate our friends and families to the issues and the stances of the candidates in our respective districts. We need to get out to vote. We need to make sure those same friends and family get out to vote as well. We can’t sit back and assume the 2016 win will carry over.

We cannot allow another cult of personality to take national office.

Featured image: Frank Fey (U.S. Senate Photographic Studio) – Office of Senator Ted Cruz