The Latest: Beto O’Rourke rallies with Willie Nelson

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Latest on Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke’s concert with Willie Nelson (all times local):

10:30 p.m.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rouke is rallying with Willie Nelson, telling thousands of supporters, “The people of the future, our kids and our grandkids, are depending on what we do at this moment.”

O’Rouke, a onetime punk rocker facing Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November, took the stage Saturday night in Austin to cheers from many wearing T-shirts or waving signs bearing his name. The event’s slogan was “Beto for Texas. Willie for Beto.”

Nelson has long supported top Democrats and he and O’Rourke are outspoken advocates for decriminalizing marijuana.

Some Texans called for online boycotts of Nelson because of his support for O’Rourke, but the country icon has shrugged those off. He and O’Rourke also shared a stage at Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic this year in Austin.

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10:15 a.m.

There probably won’t be many undecided voters on-hand Saturday night, when Willie Nelson holds a concert for Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke.

But the El Paso congressman trying to upset Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November says it’s not about attracting moderate or independents.

Instead, it’s the latest example of O’Rourke moving to the left in contrast to tight, red-state Senate races around the country, where Democrats often try not to act like ones.

O’Rourke supports legalizing marijuana and single-payer health care, and is open to impeaching President Donald Trump.

That strategy also breaks with Texas Democrats who for decades tried to appeal to moderates and lost.

Some detractors have called for boycotts of Nelson – who shrugs those off, saying, “We’re not happy ’til they’re not happy.”

FILE – In this Jan. 7, 2017, file photo, Willie Nelson performs in Nashville, Tenn. Nelson will hold a concert for Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018. O’Rourke is a three-term congressman from El Paso trying to upset Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in November. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE – In this Sept. 21, 2018, file photo, Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, left, and Democratic U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke, right, take part in their first debate for the Texas U.S. Senate in Dallas. The second debate between O’Rourke and Cruz has been postponed because the Senate may be in session this weekend to vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. (Tom Fox /The Dallas Morning News via AP, Pool)

FILE – In this Sept. 21, 2018 photo, Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, left, and Democratic U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke, right, take part in their first debate for the Texas U.S. Senate in Dallas. The second debate between O’Rourke and Cruz has been postponed because the Senate may be in session this weekend to vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP, Pool)