Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke is the hottest show on the campaign circuit, but minority voters are not filling many of the seats.

During a recent campaign stop in Oak Cliff, O'Rourke got an earful from black and Hispanic community leaders. Their message: "Don't forget about us."

"We're not looking for a savior, just an opportunity to have our voices heard," said Jara Butler, a Democrat from Pleasant Grove. "For us, the dialogue has to change."

"There's an opportunity here," said the Rev. Michael Waters, senior pastor at Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church. "They just don't know about you."

O'Rourke, the once largely unknown Democratic congressman from El Paso, is barnstorming through Texas with an underdog campaign against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz that's jolted energy into the Democratic Party. His movement has been fueled by large crowds, impressive fundraising and an energy that could propel not only his candidacy, but the entire Texas Democratic Party ticket.

His strategy involves aggressively campaigning in all of Texas' 254 counties and making appeals to voters from all backgrounds and political parties. That has translated to rallies in unlikely places. In February he met with nearly 2,000 fired-up North Texans at a union hall in Garland. There have been similar events all over North Texas, including in Republican areas in Tarrant County and Farmers Branch.

But as his star keeps rising with white Democrats and crossover voters, O'Rourke has not yet caught fire with the Democratic Party's minority base. His trip to north Oak Cliff was his first stop in southern Dallas since last summer, when he announced his campaign at a bar in Fair Park.

More inclusion

O'Rourke concedes the Texas coalition he's building could be more inclusive.

"I'm hearing some really tough things I need to hear," he told the gathering at Mercado, a cultural center, gallery and cafe. "I'm going to act on them. Like you have said, it's ours to lose, if we fail to make the most of it."

Even though the crowds don't yet reflect it, the strength of DFW for Beto, the group pushing his candidacy in North Texas, is its diversity. They have ambassadors in most cities in the county. They are white, black, Asian and Hispanic.

Meanwhile, Cruz is expected to cruise in his lightly contested GOP primary. Cruz, who is of Cuban heritage, insists that his brand of conservatism can be sold to minority voters, but his campaigns for the Senate and the White House have had little appeal for blacks and Hispanics.

While O'Rourke probably doesn't have to worry about Cruz making inroads with minority voters, he can't risk having part of his Democratic base stay home, much like they did with 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

O'Rourke told The Dallas Morning News that he knew the importance of campaigning in minority neighborhoods.

"The only way we're going to win is if are leadership reflects the strength of this state," O'Rourke said at Mercado. "We're here today to follow and to listen and to learn. I'm really looking forward to this."

Mining the base

After meeting with community leaders, O'Rourke strolled down Jefferson Boulevard and visited a couple of small businesses, including a barber shop.

He talked to the barbers, posed for pictures before heading to the Texas Theatre for his town hall meeting. It was clear he was not yet a familiar name.

"No, I don't know who he is," said Luis the Barber, whom O'Rourke met during the walk. "He seems nice. What is he running for?"

State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, shepherded O'Rourke through most of the stop.

He said he liked O'Rourke's campaign approach.

"I'm really proud of the campaign Congressman O'Rourke is running. He's going to hit every county in Texas, which hasn't been done in some time now by a Democrat," Anchia said. "I'm especially happy that he's dedicating a lot of time to communities of color, coming down to Oak Cliff and engaging with us, letting us be critical, letting us provide him some constructive suggestions, but at the same time embracing our communities."

Anchia said the symbol of O'Rourke in one of the most vibrant minority neighborhoods in the city was significant.

"It's great to see him go into minority-owned businesses," Anchia said. "This is like the Latino Fifth Avenue, and he was here engaging African-Americans and Latinos. He talks to people where they are."

Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke (center) speaks with state Rep. Rafael Anchia (right) as they stand on the corner of Madison Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard on their way to a town hall meeting at the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff on Feb. 23. (Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Rallying Oak Cliff

At the Texas Theatre, he was well-received by the 1,000 people at the historic venue.

There, O'Rourke was able to introduce himself to Hispanic and black residents who had not heard him speak, though most of the crowd was white.

"He's a breath of fresh air," said Frank Rios, a businessman who lives in nearby Wynnewood North. "He's talking to Republicans and Democrats and I like his message."

Oak Cliff! Thanks for spending your Friday evening with us at our town hall. Great seeing all of you. pic.twitter.com/UOZMPVDBOf — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) February 24, 2018

O'Rourke talked about improving education, giving Americans access to quality and affordable health care and creating jobs, all critical issues in Dallas' urban core.

Someone in the crowd asked him whether he supported proposals for a universal income, a welfare system where citizens would receive a regular and livable sum of money from the government.

Yes!!! Beto talking about women’s health rights! Speaking about how Black and Hispanic women in Texas have the highest rate of women dying after child birth, this is ridiculous. — Dominique P. Torres (@attorneytorres) February 24, 2018

"He gave a great non-answer," said Dallas lawyer Dominique Torres. "He said we need to make sure our communities are getting educated and we're getting the right job training and placement."

I was very impressed with the @BetoORourke Town hall. He gave straight forward ideas and solutions all grounded in core principles I can stand behind. #Equity #Inclusion pic.twitter.com/c2aYF1Gujn — Dominique P. Torres (@attorneytorres) February 24, 2018

Torres said that O'Rourke needs minority voters to pull off an upset of Cruz.

"It's absolutely correct that he's missing a huge segment of voters," she said. "He hit home on so many issues facing black and brown communities. ... He's got to make sure he delivers his message to the people in those communities."