The good news for U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, is he has a barrel full of campaign money and, in April, he’s closing the voter preference gap in his race for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas.

The bad news: Incumbent Republican Ted Cruz has almost as much cash on hand as O’Rourke and the election is not until Nov. 6. So much can happen in six months.

On the matter of voter preferences, O’Rourke’s good news comes by way of a Quinnipiac University poll, which is reliable. It shows Cruz with the support of 47 percent of Texas registered voters, O’Rourke with 44 percent. That falls within the 3.6 percent margin of error.

Some political observers say that suggests O’Rourke will test Cruz’s mettle when the campaign warms up, probably after Labor Day. And why not? Democrats across the country are feeling confident about their chances of capturing the House and Senate in November.

That’s because President Trump’s popularity has never reached Democrats and is waning among independents. Even in Texas, polls show more disapproval than approval for his performance. Among Republicans, many find him personally unpalatable.

Cruz, too, can be polarizing, the Quinnipiac poll suggests, with his favorables barely outpacing his unfavorables. Small wonder, then, Democrats are trying to topple Cruz with such organizations as “Humans Against Ted Cruz.”

But O’Rourke supporters should not celebrate prematurely. Their candidate has some mountains to climb, not the least of which are these:

• O’Rourke is a demonstrated liberal whose policy positions and track record on gun control, abortion, national defense and Obamacare may run headlong into opposition among likely Texas voters. As the campaign wears on, his differences with Cruz will become more apparent and he may have to bridge a lot of gaps among rank-and-file Texan voters, who lean right.
• Cruz ran an impressive presidential primary campaign in Texas during his 2016 campaign, thumping Trump. He took more than 1.2 million votes here. He can rely upon deep pockets within the Texas GOP.
• Republicans are reeling nationally, but not necessarily in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott fared well in the Quinnipiac poll, and no Democrat in Texas has been elected to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen won re-election in 1988. That seat went Republican in 1993 when Kay Bailey Hutchison beat appointed Sen. Bob Krueger and it never went back.

Voters should welcome a competitive Senate campaign in Texas, though, and should be grateful O’Rourke shows the promise of waging one. Senate races should not be coronations for the incumbent, but should encourage Texas voters to follow public affairs and politics closely on the issues and to cast thoughtful votes.

Can O’Rourke win? Maybe. Cruz can, too. The outcome depends on their campaigns and your votes.