Rally for Senator Ted Cruz in restaurant near Johnson Space Center

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - In a rally held at Franca's Real Italian Restaurant along East NASA Parkway on Thursday night, incumbent U.S. Senator Ted Cruz met with supporters and discussed key issues the night before his big debate with Democratic Congressman Beto O'Rourke.

“I think people are focused on this election, energized — they recognize that this election is a fundamental choice," says Senator Cruz. "There is no race in the country with a starker divide between the candidates than this election.” The Senator mentioned everything from wanting to defund Planned Parenthood to border security to oil and even gun control.

At the rally, Sen. Cruz took questions from many people, including a woman whose daughter died in the shooting at Santa Fe High School.

Sen. Cruz has conducted 22 different events in the last few weeks which he describes as "town halls" and he says he hopes this will help voters turn out for the mid-term general election in November.

“If common sense conservatives and Texans show up and vote, we will have a very good election and I’m confident that’s going to happen,” says Sen. Cruz.