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The Democrat gunning to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas is ripping a page straight out of the playbook of Sen. Bernie Sanders, framing himself as an outsider who wants to harness the grassroots and eradicate the corrupting scourge of money in politics.

Texas Rep. Beto ORourke, a mop-haired 44-year-old El Paso native first elected to the House in 2012, embarked on a four-city tour of Texas on Friday to launch his underdog campaign against Cruz, who is up for re-election next year.

Throughout the day, ORourke talked up his people driven campaign for Senate, eschewed big money and party labels and emphasized job creation. He even dropped a few f-bombs in front of a crowd of beer-drinkers at a bar in Dallas.

As Democrats continue soul-searching over the future of a fractured party lacking a coherent message, ORourke is trying to present the image of a candidate who ignores the rules of conventional politics. The particulars of his Senate bid -- the site of his campaign headquarters, for example -- remain up in the air. But what is clear is that the Spanish-speaking Democrat is working hard to show voters he wont take marching orders from the D.C. establishment.

ORourke in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26, 2013

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

I dont know about the Democratic Party right now, but anytime we are waiting for someone out of central headquarters, waiting to figure something out, we might as well give up, ORourke told CBS News. I just know what Im hearing in Texas, and what I feel as a Texan. There are too many people who want to work and who are skilled and cant find that work.

ORourke chatted by phone Friday as he boarded a commercial flight to Dallas, where he would meet supporters in the crowded backyard of a local brew house. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas in since 1994, but ORourke sounded bullish on his ability to connect with voters in a highly partisan environment.

People want a full-time senator. Someone focused on this state -- not on running for President, he said. Someone who puts country before party and isnt chasing big money, and believes public service is a calling and not a career.

ORourke pledged to serve a maximum of two terms in the Senate, echoing the vow he made to serve no more than four terms in the House.

He didnt hesitate when asked to say something nice about Cruz, a conservative provocateur who revels in eliciting scorn from both sides of the aisle. (Cruzs chilly reputation among his Senate colleagues fueled joking accusations throughout the 2016 presidential campaign that he was in fact the Zodiac Killer.)

Ive met [Cruz] and I think he is a nice guy, ORourke said. I think he did a terrific job running for president and almost won the nomination, but did it at the expense of Texas and a Senate seat that should have been focused on the people of this state.

Hes a phenomenal campaigner and a smart guy, he added.

Jeff Roe, Cruzs 2016 campaign manager, wasted no time in attacking ORourke on Twitter after he announced his candidacy, calling him more liberal than [Wendy Davis].

Davis, a former Texas state senator who gained national attention for filibustering an anti-abortion bill, ran for governor in 2014 with the backing of many national Democrats. She was crushed when voters went to the polls, losing to now-Gov. Greg Abbott by more than 20 points.

ORourke does have one thing in common with Cruz: Hes a social media obsessive who believes in the power of the internet to connect directly with voters.

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Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) hit the road Tuesday after snow canceled their flights back to D.C. They took advantage of th...

His social media persona is part of his strategy. ORourke made headlines last month when he embarked on an impromptu 1,600-mile, 36-hour road trip from Texas to Washington with Republican Rep. Will Hurd after snow grounded their flights. The duo broadcast the bipartisan marathon on Facebook Live.

To follow him on social media is to become familiar with even the most mundane details of the congressmans life. Hes an avid user of Instagram and Snapchat. On Friday, he snapped his morning run with his dog along the U.S.-Mexico border. Later, he boarded his flight and tweeted a grinning selfie from his middle seat in coach.

ORourke boasted that he has more Snapchat followers than any other member of Congress and says hell continue to be the most accountable and transparent person in Congress, using social media to connect with constituents and voters he would otherwise never get the chance to meet.

But ORourke, who once played in a rock band and lived in Brooklyn, plans to take on Cruz directly on the issue of money in politics.

Cruz raised nearly $90 million from super PACs during his 2016 presidential campaign, with $6 million going to a single analytics firm. ORourke has pledged not to take PAC money from wealthy donors, instead focusing on grassroots small-dollar fundraising.

To win a statewide race in Texas, ORourke will have to walk a tricky line. The Lonestar State still skews Republican despite perennial Democratic dreams of a growing Hispanic population turning the state blue. ORourke said hes confident he can appeal to Trump supporters as well as Democrats.

I cant tell you how many Trump voters have approached me in Texas, ORourke said. Its not a matter of buyers remorse. They are happy with their decision, would vote for Trump again. But theyre disappointed at how ineffective government is.

The road to effective government runs through Texas, he added.

ORourke asks a question during a House Veterans Affairs Committee, Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee hearing on May 29, 2014

Rod Lamkey, Getty Images

This is not to downplay ORourkes national progressive appeal. Shortly after ORourke formally entered the race, Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard academic who has carved out a side career fighting corporate money in politics, endorsed ORourke in a post onMedium.

Beto ORourke wants to challenge one of the very few politicians in America today who actually openly and firmly defends this corrupt system -- Ted Cruz, Lessig wrote.

If a crazy man could be elected because he promised America he would drain the swamp, Im quite sure this incredibly-decent,-former-punk-rocker,-40-something,-takes-no-PAC$,-Congressman-willing-to-drive-1600-miles-in-a-car-with-a-Republican can be Texas next Senator, he concluded.

ORourke isnt the only Democrat with an eye on Cruzs Senate seat. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat whose district includes San Antonio, may also throw his hat in the ring. If he does, hell benefit from deep connections with national Democrats who could provide key support in the primary.

Castro has been busy with the House Intelligence Committees investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential campaign, and has said he will decide by the end of April whether to jump into the race.

Hes a friend and I think hed be a great candidate, ORourke said of the prospect of a matchup against Castro, which would immediately become one of the most watched primaries in the country. I told him if he runs and joins me, I want to do this in a way we make Texas proud, and Im confident we can do that.

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Beto O'Rourke launches Texas Senate campaign against Ted Cruz ... - CBS News