At El Paso rally, Ted Cruz challenges Democrats, Beto O'Rourke to 'Come and take it'

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz visited the hometown of his opponent Beto O'Rourke and delivered a challenge to Democrats looking to upend what has been a reliably red state: "Come and take it." 

The cheers from a crowd of more than 2,000 enthusiastic supporters at Franklin High School in West El Paso nearly drowned out the political reality Republicans face in the border city where, during the primary election, 48,969 residents cast ballots for O'Rourke, compared to 10,742 for Cruz.

But Cruz, who in one of the latest polls was leading O'Rourke by 9 percentage points, assured the crowd that he would win in November.

"Here's the good news," he said. "This is Texas and there are a whole lot more conservatives than liberals in the state of Texas."

Cruz's rally came a day after O'Rourke, a congressman from El Paso, released fundraising numbers that showed him raising $38.1 million this quarter, an amount that more than tripled the Republican incumbent's $12 million haul during the same period.

Inside the gymnasium, supporters at the rally wore "Make America Great Again" baseball caps, held "Ted Cruz: Tough as Texas" signs, and chanted "U.S.A.", while a handful of protesters stood outside rallying for his challenger.

Supporters cheered Cruz on as he declared that Texas values are people wanting religious liberty, lower taxes, fewer regulations and more jobs. Cruz also praised Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, calling the confirmation hearings that addressed sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh a "circus."

More:Beto-Cruz Debates: How to watch Tuesday's debate in San Antonio

El Pasoan Stephanie McMaster, who was among the protesters, said that while Cruz is her senator, he is not really representing the values of El Pasoans.

She said there were many issues where she didn't see eye to eye with the senator, most recently the way the the Senate's hearings about Kavanaugh were handled. 

"I feel like (Cruz) told all our boys and all our girls that boys' ambitions are more important than the safety of our girls. Not taking the time to look into it further, rushing the investigation and just swearing someone to a lifetime appointment was a terrible example for all of our children," she said.

At one point during the rally, Ted Cruz introduced Beto to a booing crowd which then realized it was not his Democratic opponent but Beto Gonzalez, the executive director of the West Texas Narcotics Officers Association and an El Pasoan who supports Cruz.

"As a native El Pasoan, I can stand here and say that Sen. Ted Cruz, he is pro-law enforcement ... we know he has our back. We know he is in line with values of the El Paso community. He's pro-law enforcement, pro security, he's pro-life,' Gonzalez said.

Cruz hit on many of his campaign themes during the rally, saying he has been to 25 town halls and people across the state are glad the economy is booming and small business continues to grow.

Supporters applauded when he brought up the military and said the country "is in the middle of the biggest military rebuild since Ronald Reagan."

More:Ted Cruz vs. Beto O'Rourke: A campaign diary for Texas' Senate race

In a short interview with the media before the rally, Cruz said unemployment for Hispanics is at the lowest it's ever been in the history of the country. 

Cruz also jabbed at O'Rourke on immigration, saying his record on the border is "truly radical."

"How about open borders," Cruz asked the crowd, which responded with boos. "You mean to tell me you all are for securing our borders and keeping our families safe?" he yelled to cheers and applause. 

Cruz said he is encouraged in the last weeks of the campaign, getting beyond the "rainbows and puppies" pieces written about O'Rourke. 

El Pasoans Ed and Helene Solomon, who attended the rally, said they are voting for Cruz because he stands for less government, less taxes, and for capitalism.

"The economy is the best we've had in 70 years," Ed Solomon said.

In spite of the huge turnout, the Solomons said they expect the city to vote Democrat, calling O'Rourke supporters uneducated.

María Cortés González may be reached at 546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @EPTMaria on Twitter.