TX-Sen: Club for Growth endorses Ted Cruz in Texas fight that's closer than they'd expected

Club for Growth announced on Monday its endorsement of Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz's tougher-than-expected re-election bid.

“Club for Growth PAC was honored to be among the first to endorse Ted Cruz in his initial run for Senate in 2012, and now six years later we are just as honored to endorse his candidacy today,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said on the group's blog.

“When it comes to fiscal conservatives, Ted Cruz is the real deal. During his time serving the great state of Texas in the Senate, Ted has demonstrated a long, consistent track record of fighting for economic freedom and limited government every day. He’s a conservative warrior, and Ted’s strong voice for fiscal sanity is needed now more than ever before,” McIntosh wrote.

The Washington, D.C.-based conservative PAC told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in April that it had not yet endorsed Cruz at the time "because we didn't need to," but that it was keeping an eye on the fundraising efforts of his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, according to McClatchy DC Bureau.

The group spent about $5 million helping Cruz beat fellow Republican David Dewhurst in the 2012 Senate GOP primary.

O'Rourke isn't accepting PAC money.

Which candidate is leading the polls?

Cruz has consistently been ahead of O'Rourke in the polls.

A JMC Analytics poll in mid-May showed Cruz with a 7-point lead among registered voters.

A Quinnipiac poll showed Cruz with a double-digit lead, 50 percent to 39 percent, over O'Rourke in late May.

But a Democratic survey by O'Rourke's allies earlier this month found Cruz's lead had narrowed to 6 points.

O'Rourke recently completed a 254 county-by-county tour of the state that may have upped his name-recognition among some voters.

What else?

Cruz could win some points in future surveys with his proposed emergency bill to end the separation of families who are caught illegally crossing the border.

On Monday, the senator announced his plan to introduce legislation this week after recent videos of children crying for their parents caused outrage among both conservatives and liberals.

“We can end this crisis by passing the legislation I am introducing this week,” the senator said in a statement Monday.

His proposal would double the number of federal immigration judges from 375 to 750 to more quickly process asylum and illegal immigration cases, and called for adjudication within 14 days.

Cruz's bill would create additional temporary shelters that would allow families to remain together during the processing unless there's criminal activity involved.

"We can fix this,” Cruz tweeted. “If my Democratic colleagues will join me, not play politics but work to solve the problem, we can start to end family separation this week.”

“And, we can honor the rule of law,” he added.