*By Carlo Versano*
Texas Democrats find themselves in an odd position two months before a major election: running a competitive statewide race.
Optimism that Rep. Beto O'Rourke could unseat Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the Senate is palpable in Democratic circles, said Texas Monthly's politics editor Carlos Sanchez. The race is now a "toss up," according to [Real Clear Politics] (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/senate/tx/texas_senate_cruz_vs_orourke-6310.html).
O'Rourke, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2013, has been surfing a wave of positive national press and an unorthodox, social-media-savvy campaign that found him traveling to all 254 counties of the deep red state and streaming his journey online.
All summer he's been gaining on Cruz who, compared to the charismatic O'Rourke, suffers from a "likability issue," Sanchez said. After all, Cruz's Republican colleague Lindsey Graham once famously [said](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/313969-graham-to-cruz-i-want-to-apologize-to-ted-for-saying-he-should): "If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you."
Sanchez said that kind of sentiment may work in O'Rourke's favor: "The base for Cruz seems to be crumbling a bit."
But there are still challenges. While O'Rourke has out-raised Cruz by a wide margin, mostly from small-dollar donors, Cruz is better organized and allied with the powerful Koch network of donors. Sanchez said that "formidable" campaign infrastructure could pose a threat to the Democrat.
And the issue of Donald Trump looms large.
The president accepted an invitation to campaign for Cruz after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick [reportedly](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/09/ted-cruz-reelection-trump-813354) pleaded with him to throw his support behind Cruz, a man he incidentally referred to as "Lyin' Ted" on the campaign trail.
Though that may end up working against the incumbent, Sanchez said. O'Rourke, who is popular with young and minority Democrat voters, needs those blocs to turn out on Election Day. A fiery Donald Trump rally weeks before may compel them to do just that.
O'Rourke "is the national Democrat of Texas right now," Sanchez said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/republicans-go-into-crisis-mode-as-democrat-beto-orourke-closes-in-on-ted-cruz-in-texas-senate-race).
One of the biggest global consumers goods companies, Unilever, is threatening to stop advertising on digital platforms like Facebook and Google if the companies don't clean up their acts. Snap's Vice President of sales has left the company. A new report finds Facebook is losing a younger audience. Dow closed up 400 points after the most volatile week in two years.
Cheddar's "The Crypto Craze" covers the latest trends, and news in the space. the cryptocurrency is floating around the $8,000 mark after a dip on Tuesday. The price has been slowly climbing again. The same pattern has been seen in other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Ripple.The price of cryptocurrencies have been mostly stable is the last couple days, a big contrast to the Dow's major moves and volatile swings. Cheddar's Brad Smith and Hope King break down the factors driving this stability and the state of regulation in this space.
Kayla Webley Adler, senior features editor at Marie Claire, and Eric Sullivan, senior editor at Esquire, discuss their joint project, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape." They asked writers, celebrities, and thought leaders tough questions about the complexities of the "post-weinstein" era.
It's been a wild week for the stock markets. The Dow plunged below 1,000 points for the second time ever on Thursday. Amazon is taking on UPS and FedEx, announcing a new delivery service geared towards businesses. Congress agreed on a spending bill after a brief government shutdown overnight. Snapchat is starting to show signs of recovery after a disappointing few quarters. Cheddar senior reporter Alex Heath sits down with Billy Gallagher, author of the new book "How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story," to see what lies ahead for the company.
Haley Byrd, congressional reporter at The Weekly Standard, and Katherine Mangu-Ward, Editor-in-Chief at Reason Magazine, discuss the 2nd government shutdown of 2018. The government closed for just over five hours before the House passed a two-year spending bill that was later signed by the president.
Cheddar is dedicating the day to celebrating women, and we're calling it "Chedher"! We have special co-hosts and interviews from women in sports, tech, business, politics and more.
Hope King welcomes special co-hosts Alicia Quarles and Tanzina Vega.
Between Bells: Cheddar turns into #chedHER, with 100% women anchors and guests. We highlight women in business, tech, entertainment, politics, and sports. With Cosmopolitan, EMILY's List, Lea DeLaria, MoveOn.org, THINX, and more!
"Orange Is The New Black" actress Lea DeLaria grades the Trump administration on its handling of LGBTQ issues. Unsurprisingly, she's not a fan.
Linda McMahon, head of the Small Business Administration, discusses her appointment to the role, and her journey rising through the ranks of the business world. McMahon was made head of the S.B.A. by President Trump.
California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D) CA discusses the record number of interest of women possibly seeking campaigns for Congress this year.
