The most prominent Democrat challenging Ted Cruz in 2018, Rep. Beto O’Rourke from El Paso, just announced raising $2.1 million last quarter, beating out Cruz's $1.6 million--and he did it with $0 from corporate PACs, 46,574 individual donations, and more than 80% of the money coming from real, in-district constituents. "This is not a Jon Ossof-style phenomenon where people around the country are throwing money at O'Rourke," the article says.

More, from The Intercept:

...the way O’Rourke is raising money changes the game. The El Paso congressman does not have much in the way of a national fundraising network, has refused corporate PAC money, and is known among his colleagues to be a less-than-enthusiastic fundraiser. That’s the kind of lawmaker who often had little future in Washington — but exactly the kind many grassroots Democrats would like to see rise. The type of person who is good at spending hours a day with doctors, bankers, lawyers and other professionals who can write four- and five-figure checks is A) probably not hard-wired to be a conviction politician and B) vulnerable to have their politics diluted just by virtue of the conversations they’re having day in and day out.

Let's watch this one closely, and keep our fingers crossed.

(Hat tip to Steve Steffens in Memphis.)