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"I'd like nothing more for the establishment to count us out," O'Rourke told CNN in a phone interview from El Paso.

The 44-year-old third-term House Democrat isn't hiring pollsters or campaign consultants and is sticking with a pledge he made during his first run for the House to refuse any corporate money or donations from political action committees. He pointed to his party's dismal record in the last 30 years trying to win a Senate seat in Texas, saying Democrats spent close to a billion dollars on "consultants, polls, wizards and experts, and we really came up short."

O'Rourke insisted that his retail strategy to travel the state is "not complicated" and made it clear he doesn't think much of targeted data-driven campaigns, saying, "I'm going back to the basics." He said he could try the same playbook that other Democratic statewide candidates like former state Sen. Wendy Davis tried, or "I can run an honest campaign about Texas, driven by Texas."

Cruz didn't respond directly to O'Rourke's argument that the senator has been too focused on national politics, but said in a written statement to CNN that he "will continue to work every day to earn and keep the trust of Texans across our great state. I'm confident that Texans want a senator who will lead the fight for freedom -- defending the Constitution, getting government off our backs, and allowing small businesses to create jobs and opportunity."

The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee was more direct about O'Rourke, saying he's out of step with the state.

"Beto O'Rourke would be a shoo-in for the United States Senate if he was running in Massachusetts or California -- his voting record is perfect for those states," committee spokeswoman Katie Martin told CNN in a written statement.

O'Rourke, who once traveled the country in a punk rock band, now represents the far-western corner of the state along the southwest border. He officially announced his campaign in his hometown of El Paso on Friday, saying, the state needs "a senator who is not using this position of responsibility and power to serve his own interests, to run for president, to shut down the government."

Cruz was among those Republicans arguing that a must-pass spending bill in 2013 strip funding for Obamacare, and the standoff with the White House over the issue triggered a 16-day shutdown when federal agencies didn't have funding.

When told that the other Texas Republican senator, John Cornyn, told Politico earlier this week that his campaign amounted to a "suicide mission," O'Rourke seemed unfazed by the description, saying he has "a tremendous amount of respect" for Cornyn and they've worked on some issues together.

O'Rourke said on a personal level Cruz is a "nice guy," although he doesn't know him well. He noted that the GOP senator doesn't have an office in his district near the border, and said he approached Cruz during the 2013 fight over federal funding that resulted in a shutdown to appeal to him to back down because border agents and other federal employees were affected by the shutdown.

Before O'Rourke can train his focus on Cruz, however, he might need to clear a primary fight. Rep. Joaquin Castro, whom O'Rourke phoned to tell him he was announcing his bid, is also considering the Senate race. O'Rourke said his colleague would make "a great candidate, and I'm a fan of his, a friend of his," but when asked how he could prevail over him in a potential matchup, O'Rourke replied: "I don't know."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee so far isn't weighing in, instead deciding to focus on protecting incumbent senators in states Trump won in 2016, such as North Dakota, Missouri, and Indiana. The party faces tough odds of retaking the chamber; although the GOP holds a narrow, 52-48 majority, Democrats will have to defend 25 of the 33 contests in the 2018 midterms, including the two independents who caucus with the party, Maine's Angus King and Vermont's Bernie Sanders.

But aides at the Senate Democrats' campaign arm tell CNN they are monitoring the Texas race.

Both O'Rourke and Castro speak highly of each other, but cut different profiles in the House Democratic caucus. O'Rourke noted he voted against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and said he is "fiercely independent," while Castro helps the leadership team corral votes and has been given a coveted seat on the House intelligence committee.

Castro told CNN earlier this week that O'Rourke's move doesn't change his plans to continue looking at the race, and he's sticking with a timeline to make his decision sometime in April.

Meanwhile, the dynamic that Democrats want to highlight is Cruz's own split with the President during the contentious GOP presidential primary.

"Here are some words we almost never say: Donald Trump was right -- about 'Lyin Ted,'" David Bergstein, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told CNN. "Texans know Ted Cruz is a self-serving politician, and this campaign will spotlight the many ways in which he's only ever looking out for himself,"

In El Paso on Friday, O'Rourke said that even those he meets across the state who voted for Trump say they want someone in the Congress who will be willing to break through partisan sniping and get things done.

But O'Rourke acknowledged that people are saying the same things now that they said about his first run for his congressional seat.

"I know a lot of people feel this is impossible," he said, but he dubbed El Paso, where he began a tour around the state, "an underdog city."

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House Democrat calls bid to unseat Cruz key to flipping Senate - CNN

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has vowed to lead a filibuster to try to block the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

With 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats in the Senate, the GOP needs eight Democrats to join them to break a filibuster, which takes 60 votes.

So far, however, only two Democrats have come out saying they would support Gorsuch - Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.

Here's where senators stand on Gorsuch, not including those who have taken no position, according to FoxNews.com.

Senators opposed to Gorsuch; supporting a filibuster:

1. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

2. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

3. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

4. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

5. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

6. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

7. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.

8. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

9. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

10. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

11. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii

12. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

13. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

14. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

15. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

16. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

17. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

18. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.

19. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.

20. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt.

21. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.

22. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

23. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M.

24. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

25. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

26. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

27. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

28. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.

29. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

30. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

31. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

32. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

33. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

34. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii

Senators opposed to Gorsuch; position on filibuster unclear:

1. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio

2. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.

3. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on April 3. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said they plan to vote to confirm Gorsuch on the Senate floor on April 7.

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Only 2 Democrat Senators Say They'll Support Gorsuch - Fox News Insider

Georgia Democratic congressional candidate Jon Ossoff speaks to volunteers on March 11, 2017. Image via AP.

Back in December, a runoff campaign for the Louisiana Senate caught the attention of desperate progressives, who hurled money at Democratic candidate Foster Campbell despite the long odds against him in a deep-red state. In Georgias sixth congressional district, a wealthy suburban district that has been held by a Republican since the 70s, both parties are accepting the possibility of an unexpected outcomethat the special election race to fill Tom Prices seat could actually flip to a Democrat.

Circumstances here are, of course, pretty different than they were in Louisiana; one seat wouldnt do much to alter Republican dominance over the House, and winning a single congressional district during a special election is a different ball game than capturing an entire state. 30-year-old first-time candidate Jon Ossoff also has the massive advantage of running as a youthful, clean-cut Democrat while a sitting Republican president with tanking approval ratings and questionable mental capacity gets investigated by the FBI. Trump only carried this district by a 1.5 point marginplus, its tough to get people motivated to vote when their party already controls all levers of the government, particularly when the seat in question wouldnt change that fact.

The GOP, Politico reports, is acknowledging Ossoffs chances:

That acknowledgement is a reflection of the unique forces driving the April 18 special election. Ossoff is one of 18 candidates thrown together in a primary in which all the candidates regardless of party will appear on the same ballot. A candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote will win the race outright. If no candidate reaches 50 percent, there will be a runoff on June 20 between the top two vote-getters.

The threat for Republicans is that the crowded field of nearly a dozen Republican candidates will dilute the GOP vote, enabling Ossoff to hit 50 percent and win the seat and thus avoid a runoff in which he would be hard-pressed to defeat a GOP candidate in a one-on-one matchup.

This race could be a perfect storm of higher than average Democratic turnout and below average Republican turnout. The early vote totals are chilling, Republican consultant Todd Rehm told Politico. Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker and former congressional staffer, has raised an obscene $4 million and is getting considerable attention from the national party, according to Politico; the DCCC sent staffers down to help out last month.

In turn, the Republican party is pouring money into the race, with the Congressional Leadership Fund super pac making an initial investment of $2.2 million to keep the district red with television ads and a field program to counter Ossoffs prodigious canvassing effort.

One attack ad painted Ossoff as too inexperiencedan interesting tack, considering whos in the White House right nowwhile a CLF ad that dropped today tried on a different strategy, showing menacing footage of black bloc protestors destroying property on inauguration day. Liberal extremists will stop at nothing to push their radical agenda, an outraged male voice intones. Now, theyre turning their attention to Georgia.

Jon Ossoff is one of them, the ad claims.

Im absolutely the underdog. But this is a winnable race, Ossoff told Atlantas WXIA. If you have any doubts about it being a winnable race just look at the attack ads on television. Thats an indication of how competitive the race is.

Meanwhile, Breitbart looks to be blaming the Georgia Republican establishment for any potential future loss; the site interviewed candidate and Tea Party activist Amy Kremer, who claimed that the party is purposely excluding Trump-supporting candidates from the debate stage. Since voters in this district are not too keen on Trump, that argument doesnt make a ton of sense! Staffers on Kramers campaign have quit after she was unable to pay them, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported; one ex-staffer who had been staying at her home had to call the cops to get his valuables after she changed the locks on him.

These next few weeks are sure bound to get interesting.

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A Democrat Could Feasibly Snag Tom Price's Georgia House Seat - Jezebel

WASHINGTON The top Democrat on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said intelligence reports he viewed at the White House on Friday were the same documents seen by panel Chairman Devin Nunes last week.

Nunes, a Republican, sparked a controversy last week when he said he had seen documents at the White House that indicated President Donald Trump and associates may have been caught in incidental intelligence collection before the inauguration.

Nunes shared what he had learned with Trump and held a news conference but did not give the information to the rest of the committee, angering Democrats and some Republicans.

(Reporting by Eric Beech)

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has neither a clear White House tax plan nor adequate staff yet to see through a planned tax reform, according to interviews with people in the administration, in Congress and among U.S. tax experts.

BEIJING/WASHINGTON Beijing sought to play down tensions with the United States and put on a positive face on Friday as the U.S. administration slammed China on a range of business issues ahead of President Xi Jinping's first meeting with President Donald Trump.

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Top Democrat on House panel says he has seen controversial intel reports - Reuters

President Donald Trump.

Following his failed attempt to pass a new health care law,President TrumpindicatedWednesdaythathe wanted to start working more with Democrats. Of course, this comes after he failed to get Republicans on board with his Obamacare replacement-- and after he blamed Democrats for stalling his agenda.

Still, among those Democrats the White House called up was US RepresentativeStephen Lynch, of Massachusetts. Lynch is one of his party's few moderates left in the US House, and evenhe declined the White House's invitation.

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There are at least three logical reasons why Democrats, except in some limited cases, will not be working with Trump anytime soon:

1. Trumps approving rating is really bad

This week Trumps approval rating dropped to35 percent in the Gallup poll,the lowest for any modern president this early in an administration. Anunpopular president hasless political clout on Capitol Hill. In other words, Trump cannot persuade Democrats that working with him will make them more popular back at home.

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One exception is the group of10 Democrats in theUS Senatewho are up for reelection next year in states that voted for Trump. This group might be looking for ways to at least appear open to working with Trump. But even then, if his popularity continues to decline, it still might be better to just stay away from the White House.

2. The Democratic base wont let them

Few Democrats have more credibility with the party's base than US SenatorElizabeth Warren. But remember the backlash she encountered when she initially said she was open to voting forBen Carsonas Trumps Secretary of Housing and Urban Development?Warren quickly changed her mind.

The Democratic base is firmly against Trump. In fact, the latest polling shows that just12 percent ofDemocrats approve of Trump.Not only is there little incentive for Democrats to work with Trump, there's considerable risk in their own party if they do so.

3. Trump has not been stressing issues where Democrats are likely to work with him.

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Trump has lamentedthat no Democrat indicated they would support his health care bill, but he shouldnt be all that shocked. Democrats are not inclined to vote to repeal Obamacare, and they arent inclined to vote for a Supreme Court nominee that Trump has billed as very conservative.Even thoughPresident Obama talked about tax reform,there's little evidence to suggestTrump is willing to meet Democrats halfway on this issue.

If Trump really wants buy-in from Democrats, he could simply change the issue set -- and he might be ready to do so. In recent days Trump signaledhe wants to do a big infrastructure billsooner than originally planned. Trump'sadviser and son-in-law,Jared Kushner,met with senatorsThursdayto discuss bipartisan criminal justice reform.

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3 reasons why Democrats aren't working with Trump - The Boston Globe