Rep. Beto O'Rourke was in Dallas on Thursday to help unify and fire up the Democratic voters he'll need for his underdog campaign against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.

But though the rally was dubbed as an event to honor Democrats who ran for office during the primaries, as well as heal the bruises the competitive races created, O'Rourke was making nonpartisan appeals.

"I'm glad the Democratic Party is coming together, that we're done with the primary and runoffs, but unity has to extend beyond our own party. Unity has to mean all of us in the state of Texas," O'Rourke, D-El Paso, told The Dallas Morning News before the rally. "Not only are we not going to win if we can't get beyond just our own party, but we're not going to be able to deliver on the high expectations we're setting for people."

After a bruising primary that created divides within the party, Dallas County Democrats know they need solidarity to beat local Republicans in November and provide critical votes for statewide candidates like O'Rourke and Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas County sheriff who's running for governor against incumbent Republican Greg Abbott.

Dallas County is also ground zero for efforts by Texas Democrats to win at least seven state House seats held by Republicans, while defending incumbent Democratic Rep. Victoria Neave, the freshman lawmaker who represents North Dallas' 107th District.

A deep-blue Dallas County could provide critical votes for statewide Democratic candidates like O'Rourke. A Democrat hasn't won a statewide contest in Texas since 1994, after which the party started to gain control of Dallas County politics.

Party leaders hope to use their clout to boost the margins for O'Rourke and others, such as former state district judge John Creuzot. Creuzot is challenging Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson, the Republican Abbott appointed to replace Susan Hawk, who resigned in 2016 for health reasons.

"We're going to push together on our coordinated campaign," Dallas County Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Donovan said. "We're going to make Dallas County even bluer."

Valdez and Neave attended the rally, which was sponsored by the re-election campaign of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and held at Mudhen Meat and Greens at the Dallas Farmers Market.

Jenkins said it was important for Democrats to form a united front, and he thanked all the candidates that participated in the contentious primaries.

"We're here to celebrate every person who ran," Jenkins said. "We're going to unify because we all agree that our least favorite Democrat is better than our favorite Republican."

O'Rourke said North Texas would be important to his hopes of beating Cruz.

"The energy is here right now," he said. "We're going to have to make the most of it."

But, he said, it's Tarrant County, not Dallas County, that holds the key to his success.

"Tarrant County is really going to determine the direction of this state," he said. "I don't just want to do well in Tarrant County. I want to win."