Underdog: Beto vs. Cruz

Texas Monthly and Pineapple Street Media
  • 4.7 (351)
  • NEWS
  • SERIES
Underdog: Beto vs. Cruz

Go inside the most expensive, most talked-about political race of 2018: the U.S. Senate contest between Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz. For a generation, Texas has been America’s ultimate red state. No Democrat has won statewide office here since 1994. Will this be the race where everything changes? Or will Beto-mania turn out to be just another fantasy? For the next month, Texas Monthly, chronicler of life in contemporary Texas since 1974, and Pineapple Street Media, creator of Missing Richard Simmons, will be traveling around the state of Texas, reporting in real time. We’ll go behind the scenes with the O’Rourke campaign, take the pulse of operatives and analysts and pollsters, and talk with the Texas voters of all political stripes who will ultimately decide which candidate and whose vision for the state will prevail.

  1. EPISODE 1

    On the Road Again

    It's been a quarter century since a Democrat won statewide office in Texas. No Democrat governors, no attorneys general, no U.S. senators. But in 2018 — with control of the senate hanging in the balance — Beto O'Rourke's campaign against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz has become the most dramatic, most watched race in America. This week, we ride through Trump country with Beto and get inside his campaign to turn America's reddest state blue. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    28 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Red State

    It's been an eventful week for the Beto O'Rourke campaign. He just announced a $38-million fundraising haul, the biggest ever for a senate campaign in the US. But polls are showing Ted Cruz with an eight or nine point lead. This week, we head to a Cruz rally in Houston and look at how Texas went from a state full of Democrats to a stronghold for the GOP.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    30 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    The Sleeping Giant

    For Beto O'Rourke to win, he needs to get hundreds of thousands of non-voters to show up. This week, we head to the Rio Grande Valley. It's a largely Latino border area of the state, with many potential Democratic voters. It also has historically low voter turnout. Can Beto change the Texas electorate? And what is his plan to bring in unlikely voters?  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    33 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    The Final Push

    With less than a week to go, Beto O'Rourke is behind in all the polls. But he's still getting huge crowds at rallies, and turnout for early voting is way up. We travel the state to figure out if there's something the pollsters are missing. With an appearance by everyone's favorite grandma from Waco, Mary Duty.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    29 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    The Caravan and the Blue Wave

    With days to go, the volume of news has felt overwhelming. Donald Trump has tried to fire up his base with claims about the migrant caravan in Mexico, while Democrats have touted early voting numbers as the sign of a coming 'blue wave' at the polls. What does it all mean? We turn to Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia, and Democratic political strategist Tom Bonier for answers.   To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    18 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Thirty-Six Hours in El Paso

    On Tuesday, November 6th, Democrats had a better day in Texas than any Election Day since 1990. They flipped two House seats. Their candidates finished within a few points of their Republican opponents for statewide office. But, despite high voter turnout and national attention, Beto O'Rourke did not beat Ted Cruz. We go behind-the-scenes of the last days of the O'Rourke campaign, and look ahead to what's next.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    27 min
See All Season 1 (6)

4.7
out of 5
351 Ratings

About

Go inside the most expensive, most talked-about political race of 2018: the U.S. Senate contest between Congressman Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz. For a generation, Texas has been America’s ultimate red state. No Democrat has won statewide office here since 1994. Will this be the race where everything changes? Or will Beto-mania turn out to be just another fantasy? For the next month, Texas Monthly, chronicler of life in contemporary Texas since 1974, and Pineapple Street Media, creator of Missing Richard Simmons, will be traveling around the state of Texas, reporting in real time. We’ll go behind the scenes with the O’Rourke campaign, take the pulse of operatives and analysts and pollsters, and talk with the Texas voters of all political stripes who will ultimately decide which candidate and whose vision for the state will prevail.

Information

More From Texas Monthly

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada