Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Beto O’Rourke has expressed regret for referring to his Republican opponent Sen. Ted Cruz as “Lyin Ted” in the crucial Texas race, telling ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he doesn't think that was "the best phrase for me to use."
O'Rourke stressed that "I'm going to do my best to stay focused on the future" after admitting "that wasn't the best phrase for me to use."
During a recent debate, O'Rourke said, "Sen. Cruz isn’t going to be honest. He’s dishonest. That’s why [President Donald Trump's] nickname [for Cruz that he used during the 2016 GOP presidential primaries] stuck — because it’s true."
O’Rourke has said about the name-calling that he “took a step too far” in the "heat of the moment."
The Texas Democrat declined in the ABC interview to respond to Trump's attacks on O'Rourke's character, with the president calling him a “flake” and a “lightweight.”
“I don't know that it makes any sense to respond,” O’Rourke said. “I think the kind of bitterness and name-calling and partisanship that has unfortunately defined so much of the national conversation, you can add more to it or you can stay focused on the future and why you did this in the first place. And that's what we've chosen to do in this campaign."
O'Rourke, a Democrat, has gained national attention for making the race against Cruz so close in a staunchly conservative state, according to The Hill.
Donations have been pouring in from Democrats nationwide, with O’Rourke raising $38 million in the last quarter.
Last month the nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed the contest from “lean Republican" to “toss-up.”
Recent polls have Cruz leading O'Rourke by between five and nine percentage points.
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