Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas announced Monday he's officially filed to challenge Republican Sen. Ted Cruz next year.
The four-year House veteran announced in March that he'd go up against Cruz.
"Today's filing is not only a chance to recommit ourselves to this critical race, but to recommit to running it in the right way: being present, accountable, candid, transparent and powering each step of the way by people not PACs," O'Rourke said, The Hill reported.
O'Rourke touted the 85 public events he's attended across Texas since announcing his attention to challenge Cruz — and vowed to spend most of December traveling around Texas, hitting 30 counties before the holidays, The Hill reported.
The campaign will be an uphill battle: No Democrat has won a Senate election in Texas since 1988, and Cruz is far better financed.
According to Federal Election Commission filings, O'Rourke has raised nearly $2.8 million for the race, compared with Cruz's nearly $5.7 million war chest, The Hill reported.