Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke is forsaking a safe seat in Congress and a rising-star career for the longest of odds in an attempt to unseat Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

High-energy, bilingual and photogenic, with a lanky, 6-foot-4 frame and a mop of dark hair that's begun turning gray, O'Rourke reminds some in Texas of a Spanish-speaking Kennedy.

Still, he's risking it all for a race that looks unwinnable. A Democrat hasn't captured a Senate seat in Texas since 1988.

O'Rourke says that after Donald Trump was elected president, he decided he had to do more in politics than stay put in the House.

Shunning outside political money, pollsters and consultants, his unconventional campaign has attracted national attention — but O'Rourke himself acknowledges that the odds remain long.