If delegates at the Texas Democratic Convention run out of adult beverages, they'll probably ask Beto O'Rourke to turn water to wine.

Such a miracle would be easier, perhaps, than his task at hand. The congressman from El Paso is challenging Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate, and in the process is trying to become the first Democrat to win a statewide office since 1994.

O'Rourke, with an intense following and pronounced charisma, is tagged as the savior for Texas Democrats out of power and long mired in the political wilderness.

So far he's up to the challenge, outpacing Cruz in fundraising by $4 million in the last quarter and electrifying Democrats like no other candidate on a Texas ballot since Barack Obama.

"Beto has achieved a level of excitement that I haven't seen with a Texas candidate in my adult life in politics," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat who is working with O'Rourke on voter turnout strategies in Dallas County. "He's not only exciting Democrats, but he's been successful in appealing to independents and Republicans."

O'Rourke, sitting atop the statewide ticket, is the main attraction at this week's state Democratic convention in Fort Worth. His much anticipated speech Friday and related appearance in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are designed not only to fire up the Democratic base, but portray him as a unifying candidate with sway with voters throughout Texas.

Though party conventions are often ultra-partisan affairs, O'Rourke says his campaign is more substantive than the D beside his name on the ballot. He wants to be Texas' Senate candidate.

"You cannot be too young. You cannot be too poor," O'Rourke said during a recent stop in Dallas. "You cannot be too much of a Republican, you can't be too blue of a Democrat, too much of an independent. You can't be in prison for too many years, you can't be too undocumented to be worth fighting for. It is for everyone."

In order to beat Cruz in November, O'Rourke needs a huge turnout from Democrats, particularly in the urban areas they dominate. But he also needs to perform well enough in suburban and rural areas controlled by Republicans to upend the incumbent. Given the deep partisan divide in Texas, he'll have to be careful this weekend not to appear too steeped in Democratic Party concepts that Cruz has already charged are too liberal for Texas.

That's a tough task in front of a crowd gluttonous for red meat.

"Rather than Texas Democrats defining him, he's going to define Texas Democrats as positive and forward-looking," said Democratic strategist Matt Angle. "With his message, style and work ethic, he lifts all Democrats."

Missy Shorey, chairwoman of the Dallas County Republican Party, said O'Rourke is a punk rocker turned socialist whose policies are too extreme for Texas.

"Obviously Francis O'Rourke has excited the Democratic base and that is to be expected," Shorey said. "But Francis is not as he seems and the people of Texas will see him unmasked."

O'Rourke's given name is Robert Francis O'Rourke, and "Beto" is the Spanish nickname given to someone named Roberto.

Shorey added that it was unwise to count out Cruz, who recently won a pickup basketball game against comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

"A lot of people like to underestimate Sen. Cruz, like Jimmy Kimmel last week," Shorey said. "As we saw, Sen. Cruz always strikes back."

Beto O'Rourke, candidate for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate, talks about the new zero tolerance of immigration at Memorial Park in Hidalgo on June 11, 2018. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News)

Rallying the base

O'Rourke is clearly the hottest ticket on the Texas political circuit.

He's packed community centers, union halls, restaurants and bars throughout Texas. Democrats, and a few Republicans, turn out to hear his prognostications about a grassroots movement that will come together to solve kitchen table issues like public education, jobs and health care.

A campaign event featuring O'Rourke at Shipping and Receiving in Fort Worth could exceed 7,000 participants, a stunning number in reliably red Tarrant County.

O'Rourke's crowds are still mostly white, suggesting that he has work to do in igniting excitement with black and Hispanic voters, the base of the Democratic Party.

Earlier this month, he knocked on doors in South Dallas and voters didn't know about his campaign.

It was similar to a situation recently in Fort Worth, when O'Rourke showed up to speak to a group of black seniors.

"At first they were asking 'who is Beto,'" said state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth. "But after his speech they didn't want him to go. They gave him a standing ovation. He won them over."

State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, has had a similar experience with O'Rourke on the campaign trail.

"When I met him I was moved," said Johnson, adding that O'Rourke has to "turbocharge" the base in order to win. "You can sense the earnestness. You can feel the intelligence. He strikes me as an RFK-type candidate and when people meet him they are excited."

But in a state as large as Texas, it's impossible for O'Rourke to shake everybody's hand, even though he's visited all of Texas' 254 counties.

That means Democrats, including local party leaders and down-ballot candidates, will have to give O'Rourke a boost.

O'Rourke has solid volunteer efforts across the state, especially in North Texas. There are more formidable down-ballot Democrats running than in past midterm elections, including in competitive congressional races in areas anchored by Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

"Though he may need to supply the majority of the inspiration, he doesn't need to supply the majority of the turnout effort," said former state Sen. Wendy Davis, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor.

Ed Espinoza, executive director of the liberal Progress Texas, said O'Rourke has work to do in urban areas like Dallas.

"One thing I would like to see his campaign focus on is the voter turnout problem: specifically the Democratic drop-off voters in the big cities such as Dallas," Espinoza said. "Campaigning in the rural counties is important but Democrats also leave a ton of votes on the table in the 20 most populous counties. We need those presidential year voters to come out, and I think Beto is the guy who can get them to do it."

Appeal beyond the base

Davis said O'Rourke does have crossover appeal, though his issues of focus are progressive. In his speech Friday he's expected to talk about the need for safety at schools in the wake of the recent gun violence, the need for bigger investment in public education and the importance of access to affordable health care. Sound immigration policy with compassion for immigrants in the country without authorization and for children separated from families that crossed the southern border illegally is also an O'Rourke theme.

Resisting the policies of President Donald Trump is paramount.

"He has an opportunity to connect to all audiences with the speech he gives," Davis said. "The good news is that his issues are appealing to progressives and independents alike."

State Rep. Victoria Neave, who is in what's expected to be a tough battle for re-election in Dallas' 107th House District, agreed that O'Rourke is more than a candidate for Democrats.

"The message that he's giving is uniting not just Democrats, but is connecting with Republicans and independents," Neave said. "We have to come together to fight against extremism in Texas and it's refreshing to see a candidate talk to people who have been left behind."

Espinoza agreed.

"Beto is an inspiring leader who is running a strong campaign and he has been hitting all of the right messages on immigration, health care, campaign finance, and in general being an authentic voice," he said. "He really is our fearless leader."