Updated at 5:15 p.m. with comment from Cruz campaign.

WASHINGTON — With Democrats pouring money into the Texas Senate race faster than his own donors, Sen. Ted Cruz issued a plea Friday that called the news "very bad" for his re-election bid.

Candidates often employ dire language to shake backers from complacency. But it's no hyperbole to say the one-term Texas Republican is getting a run for his money from El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke.

On Wednesday, the Democrat announced an attention-grabbing $10.4 million haul for the three months ending June 30 — more than double Cruz's $4.6 million tally.

"Our opponent emailed his supporters and the news is BAD. VERY BAD," Cruz wrote supporters Friday afternoon. "We MUST close the gap. We're being outraised by almost 3-to-1 and the polls are getting closer. We need to step up."

Both have now raised $23.7 million for their Senate campaign accounts, though O'Rourke did it in 15 months. Cruz took six years —though he also raised funds for a presidential bid and for political action committees in that time.

O'Rourke's war chest now stands at $14 million — $3.6 million more than Cruz's.

"No doubt we have been outraised this year because the far left is very engaged in this election," Cruz campaign spokeswoman Emily Miller said when asked about the latest prognostication from the campaign. "Some will see the polls and fundraising numbers as reason for alarm, while others see them as a wake up call to voters who are being too complacent going into midterms. Either way, we are making sure that Texans who value freedom will know the current stakes."

The Texas race is currently the third costliest Senate contest of 2018. It could get far more expensive if outside groups sense momentum shifting toward O'Rourke. That would signal to Democrats that it is worth investing heavily in Texas, where 20 media markets make a serious statewide effort unusually costly.

Democratic groups and donors outside Texas have long been reluctant to spend heavily in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat statewide since 1994.

But polls have shown a fairly close race for Cruz, a tea party darling and bête noire to the left, as he noted in his latest fund-raising plea.

The RealClearPolitics polling average of recent polls show Cruz leading by just over 8 percentage points. In some states that would be a comfortable margin but Texas Republicans aren't used to such close calls.

Cruz won his seat in 2012 with a 16-point margin and in 2014, Sen. John Cornyn won a third term by 27 points, though both faced much weaker opponents than O'Rourke.

Cruz's current lead roughly tracks the nine-point win Donald Trump notched against Hillary Clinton in Texas in 2016.

Like the Democrats, Republicans would spend lavishly if needed this fall to keep control in Texas and protect the Senate seat. Republicans control the Senate 51-49 heading into the midterms.

"We cannot let them turn Texas BLUE," Cruz wrote. "If Texas goes blue, we will lose everything. We won't be able to confirm Constitutionalists to the Supreme Court, taxes will be raised, and our 2nd Amendment rights will be infringed upon, and Ted's opponent already say he would vote to impeach President Trump."

O'Rourke has also been reminding voters about the high stakes in his bid to unseat Cruz, pointing to the future of health care policy and the direction of the federal courts if President Donald Trump has a cooperative, GOP-controlled Senate handling his nominations.