Potential voters gather for Senator Ted Cruz campaign rally in Houston

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The U.S. Senate race is heating up in Texas as incumbent Senator Ted Cruz and his opponent, Congressman Beto O’Rourke, prepare to head face to face again in a debate on Tuesday.

Hundreds of supporters gathered at a rally at Firehouse Saloon in southwest Houston for Senator Cruz on Friday afternoon.

Sen. Cruz addressed the crowd on Friday and stressed the importance of voter turnout as time inches closer to the mid-term elections in November.

While the latest poll numbers indicate that the Republican incumbent is leading by nine points ahead of his Democratic opponent, Cruz admitted that O'Rourke’s latest fundraising record is an indicator of how tight the race for the Senate seat in Texas is. 

However, Cruz said he is still confident that Texans will continue to vote "red" this election cycle. 

"Congressman O'Rourke has been running a campaign very similar to Barack Obama's where they talk about hope and change," said Cruz. "From his campaign's perspective, they don't want to discuss the issues. They don't want to discuss his record because his record is so extreme that it doesn't reflect the values of most Texans." 

Cruz and O'Rourke are scheduled to debate one another on Tuesday, Oct. 16 in San Antonio.