New poll finds Sen. Ted Cruz in statistical tie with Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke

William Cummings | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Beto O'Rourke, Ted Cruz beef over Whataburger: 2018 U.S. Senate race U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke supporters all have the same Whataburger order: a triple-meat. It's a jab at a statement from Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign.

Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz is in a statistical dead heat with Rep. Beto O'Rourke in Texas, according to an Emerson College e-poll published Wednesday.

The e-poll, which was conducted from Aug. 22-25 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent, found Cruz with 38 percent of the vote, O'Rourke with 37 percent and 21 percent of respondents undecided.

According to the poll, the biggest challenge for Cruz in his path to a second term in the U.S. Senate is among independent voters. Cruz had a 57 percent unfavorable and only 25 percent favorable rating within that group, the poll found.

O'Rourke was the clear choice of younger Texans, with those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 34 favoring the Democratic challenger by nearly 20 percentage points (45 to 28 percent). Cruz, on the other hand, leads among voters ages 55 to 74 by 14 points, 45 to 37 percent.

Cruz's lead among those over 75-years-old is even greater, at 39 to 17 percent.

Cruz has followed President Donald Trump's playbook and criticized O'Rourke for siding with NFL players who have knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Last week. an NBC News/Marist poll found O'Rourke within four points of Cruz, at 45 percent to 49 percent.

O'Rourke entered the race against Cruz more than a year ago as a virtually unknown lawmaker outside of his hometown of El Paso. He reported strong fundraising numbers early in the race, but many political observers were skeptical that he could pose a serious threat to the well-established Cruz.

Since then, O'Rourke has kept busy. He has campaigned in each of the state's 254 counties, holding town halls and taking meetings with community leaders. His unconventional campaign methods and fundraising abilities have drawn national attention.

More: Beto O'Rourke raises $10.4 million against Ted Cruz in Texas' Senate race

Related: NFL players kneeling during national anthem becomes issue in Texas Senate race

Contributing: Madlin Mekelburg, El Paso Times