Conclusion

This post concludes my 2018 Senate Election blog consisting of Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O'Rourke.
Early voting starts October 22nd and ends after November 6th.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -Barack Obama

Thank you for keeping up!
Angel

Your Voice Matters!

With tomorrow being the first official day of early voting, I am encouraging everyone, regardless of which candidate you support, to go out and let your voice be heard! Often times, people say voting is pointless to them because they "are just one vote" but each and every vote counts and may potentially play a major factor in the outcome of the election.

The polls are still in favor of incumbent Cruz to secure the seat, as of October 11th. 

Go out and let your voice be heard! I hope my blog informed you of each candidate, alongside some baggage they carry too. 

Here are some locations in and around Austin that are offering early voting, which I recommend: 

http://traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/content/images/polling_locations/pdf_tc_elections_2018.11.06_G18EarlyVotingSitesFlyer.pdf

Issues They've Both Endured

While nobody is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes, each candidate has had to endure and carry the weight of their past fault. 

First, with Beto O'Rourke, there has been much talk concerning his DWI, which occurred when he was 26. Many people have wondered if he tried to leave the scene, and during a debate alongside Ted Cruz, Beto was straightforwardly asked about the incident and if he fled. 

Beto replied, "I did not try to leave the scene of the accident, though driving drunk, which I did, is a terrible mistake for which there is no excuse or justification or defense, and I will not try to provide one" (Kessler). Although Beto denied the claims of him potentially fleeing the scene, police reports, per The Houston Chronicle and SA Express-News, confirmed Beto had indeed fled the scene. To support Beto's side, he contacted the lady who was his passenger the night of the incident to confirm whether or not he attempted to flee. She backed up his statement, saying they couldn't have gone anywhere anyway, since they were in the middle of a grassy median. The police report doesn't mention any record of a passenger, however. 

http://victorygirlsblog.com/yes-beto-orourkes-dwi-does-and-should-matter-video/

Regarding Ted Cruz, there's been a lot of controversy lately pertaining to Trump's recent show of support for candidate Cruz. Trump stated he will be in Houston on Monday, October 22nd, to rally for Cruz, while also tweeting on twitter that Beto is a "total lightweight compared to Ted Cruz" and that Beto "comes nowhere near representing the values and desires [of texans]" (Pramuk). Although Trump's recent support for Cruz may appear positive, it's brought up contradicting statements that may haunt Cruz's campaign. People have dug up Trump referring to Cruz as "Lyin' Ted" and also how Trump "accused Cruz's father of helping plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy" (Solomon). On top of those, a tweet resurfaced from Trump stating, "Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them. He is another all talk, no action poll (Solomon). Since the tweet resurfaced, it has been on billboards, trucks, and across all social media networks. 

https://boingboing.net/2018/10/02/this-ted-cruz-attack-ad-is-jus.html

Not surprising, but of course this election has not been smooth sailing for either candidate. 

Things done/said in the past have reappeared and are undoubtedly giving both candidates a run for their money. 

Each Vote Counts

The Senate election for 2018 started on March 6th, when the primary was held. Ted Cruz won the majority for the Republican Party, while Beto O'Rourke will represent the Democratic Party.

The beginning of polls predicted a Republican seat with a solid lead; however, as the election progressed, Beto has begun to close the gap. 

As of October 8-11th, The New York Times conducted a poll where they made over 50,000 calls and spoke to 800 people. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/elections-poll-txsen-2.html

Majority of the people polled were from major cities such as Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Dallas residents voted about half republican and half democrat, whereas Houston was predominantly republican on the outskirts and democratic in the center. Austin and San Antonio were majority democratic, with Austin also having more than a handful of "Undecided" voters. 

Per The New York Times, since 1976 "Texas has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate" and also "has not voted for any Democrat to statewide office since 1994" (The New York Times).

With that information, Texas had been known as a red state, which is why we may witness history being made regarding the 2018 Senate Election

      https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/elections-poll-txsen-2.html 

We are only getting started! Stay tuned!

Let's dive in!

Reader,

Now that all the nitty and gritty things are out of the way, we can finally dive in. 

Regardless of who you support, I am just here to merely state the facts and keep you updated!

Tomorrow I will be recapping on the highlights of each Senate Debate, any new updates that may arise, and even some real-life opinions of each candidate from peers. 

Stay tuned!


https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-ted-cruz-will-defeat-beto-orourke-in-this-texas-senate-race-2018-10-05

Ted Cruz

Good evening readers! Today, I am picking up where I left off. I will be listing a summarized version of Ted Cruz's stance on certain topics.

Healthcare: Cruz hopes to repeal Obamacare and make healthcare more affordable, as well as personal.

Immigration: Ted Cruz aims to enforce the law by securing borders and revising the legal immigration system. 

Women's Health: Cruz plans on ending funding for Planned Parenthood, as well as allowing companies to deny insuring birth control, and also opposes public abortion funding.

Jobs and the Economy: Cruz emphasizes growth policies to benefit all Americans, votes against raising the debt-ceiling, and that the federal government does not need anymore power because their "out-of-control spending robs prosperity from our children and grandchildren" (cruz.senate.gov). 

Education: Cruz is in opposition for Common Core, he believes decisions involving education should be made by state and local level. Cruz also supports School Choice, which means funds for public education can follow children--even if they attend a private, charter, or home school options.

National Security: Ted Cruz wants to strengthen the national defense.

Drugs and Crime: For drug related cases, Cruz wants to lower minimums and require mandatory sentencing. Cruz disagrees with legalizing marijuana.

Gun Control: Cruz believes assault weapon bans have no impact on crime rates, the second amendment is a precaution against a government tyranny, is against banning high capacity magazines for over 10 shots, and also opposes "unreasonable and burdensome gun restrictions" (ontheissues.org).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz 

Beto O'Rourke

Below, I will provide a quick summary on Beto's stance pertaining to important subjects.

Healthcare: Beto does not support Medicare for All, instead O'Rourke wants to secure the ACA and expand Medicaid. 

Immigration: Beto opposes the wall Trump plans on building on the border. Beto wants to "close private immigration prisons and detention centers that are locking up families" and also "pass the DREAM Act" (Gallagher).

Women's Health: Beto supports "policies that guarantee a woman's access to birth control and emergency contraception" and also a woman's "right to choose" (Gallagher). 

Jobs and the Economy: Beto speaks of economic growth, expanding family leave, making entry easier for small businesses, tax cuts, and promoting "competition to grow the economy" (Gallagher).

Education: Beto plans on "increasing school funding for impoverished communities, protecting teacher retirement, and de-emphasizing standardized testing" (Gallagher). As for college, Beto wants to expand Pell Grants and monitor inflation rates. 

National Security: Beto speaks about communicating with military leaders to achieve victory, and also argues for resources, financially, to aid military bases. He wants to "end veteran homelessness, providing veterans with mental health treatment, and increased support for the VA" (Gallagher). 

Drugs and Crime: Beto plans on legalizing marijuana, getting rid of prisons that are private and profit, and eliminating bail with cash. 

Gun Control: Beto advocates for background checks, and expanding gun research. 

https://www.infowars.com/beto-orourkes-lifelong-republican-mom-voted-in-dem-primaries-since-2000-donated-to-obama/

Who Are They?

First off, some of you may be wondering "who is Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz?"
Well, here's a quick description to clear up any confusion as I continue blogging.

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/09/28/beto-orourke-ted-cruz-texas-senate-debate-sunday-houston-postponed-kavanaugh/1454569002/

To the left we have Ted Cruz and to the right we have Beto O'Rourke.
Ted Cruz is the incumbent and Republican candidate, whereas Beto is the Democratic candidate.
While researching both candidates, I noticed a lot of "suggestion" searches asking about each candidates' ethnicity. So, to clarify, in case anyone reading my blog was also curious, both candidates are American.
My following post will include a snippet of each candidate's ideology.

Stay tuned!

Welcome to my blog!

Good evening & welcome to my blog!
My name is Angel Thai. If you'd like to know more about me, just click on my profile link on the top right! I will be keeping tabs on the 2018 Senate election between Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz.
Come back daily for new updates!