The national party wasn’t expecting to have to defend a well-known senator in a conservative bastion.

With a string of polls showing GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s lead slipping, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick showed up in Washington on July 25 to deliver an urgent plea to White House officials: Send President Donald Trump.

Patrick, who chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in the state, made the case that a Trump visit was needed to boost turnout for Cruz and the rest of the Texas Republican ticket. The lieutenant governor soon got his wish: Trump announced on Twitter late last month that he was planning a blowout October rally for Cruz, his former GOP rival.

The previously unreported meeting comes as senior Republicans grow increasingly concerned about the senator’s prospects in the reliably red state, with some expressing fear that an under-performance could threaten GOP candidates running further down the ballot. Cruz’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, has raised barrels of cash, closed the polling gap, and emerged as a cause célèbre of liberals nationwide.

Alex Isenstadt, writing for Politico, looks at one of the most exciting senate races in the nation. Read his reporting HERE.