Poll shows Texas Dem Castro leading Cruz

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) edges out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a potential 2018 Senate matchup, a new poll shows.

According to the statewide poll numbers released Wednesday by Texas Lyceum, Castro gets 35 percent support of Texas adults in the potential matchup, while Cruz gets 31 percent.

And in a matchup between Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), the two are tied at 30 percent.

{mosads}A Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in Texas in 29 years. Cruz, who came in second in last year’s GOP presidential primary, has long been considered a big favorite.

The poll also found President Trump underwater in job approval, with 54 percent disapproving to 42 percent who approve.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said the country is on the wrong track — down from 63 percent in a 2016 edition of the poll.

Texans are divided on the question along partisan lines, with 84 percent of Democrats saying the country is on the wrong track compared to 73 percent of Republicans who say it’s on the right track.

The poll was conducted from April 3 to 9 and includes 1,000 interviews. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.

O’Rourke last month officially jumped into the race to take on Cruz in 2018. He was the first announced Democrat running to unseat Cruz in what will be a steep uphill battle in a reliably red state. Castro is still considering a bid of his own.