Cruz, whose legal name is Rafael Edward Cruz, started using the nickname when he was 13 after going by “Felito” for most of his life. But even if Cruz's suggestion was true, O'Rourke probably wouldn't need to feign Latino heritage to win the Latino vote. Although Cruz entered the 2012 Senate race as Texas's first Hispanic solicitor general, he still lost the Latino vote. Cruz may not be expecting to win the Latino vote, but it probably does matter to him just how much he loses it by. But it's not just keeping Latino voters from backing O'Rourke that matters to Cruz.

Source: Washington Post March 07, 2018 18:27 UTC