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Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Beto O’Rourke, facing GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on the November ballot, says he’s the tyke wearing the shirt with “Beto” stitched across it in this photo, which was shared by O’Rourke on Twitter March 7, 2018.
Reader tweets reminded us that Texas voters choose in November between U.S. Senate nominees who don’t go by their given first names.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz seeks a second term against Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who represents El Paso in the U.S. House.
That is, Rafael Edward Cruz faces Robert Francis O’Rourke.
One reader asked on Twitter after 10 p.m. Aug. 15: "Why does Beto not use his real name?" Two minutes later came this counter-question: "Why doesn’t Rafael?"
Each candidate has offered his own accounting for the first name he goes by. Read our full recap here.
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Our Sources
Book, "A Time for Truth," Ted Cruz, Broadside Books, 2015 (Cruz speaks to adopting Ted as his first name starting on page 34)
Truth-O-Meter article, "Ted Cruz (in a song) says Beto O'Rourke wants open borders and to 'take our guns,'" PolitiFact Texas, March 15, 2018
News profile, "Beto O'Rourke's El Paso roots may be key in his uphill battle against Ted Cruz," Dallas Morning News, March 10, 2018
Profile story, "Why So Many People Are Betting on Beto O'Rourke," Town & Country, July 26, 2018
