Article snippet: Texas Sen. MORE (D) lashed out at each other over immigration, school safety and police shootings on Friday night as they appeared for the first debate of their hotly contested Senate race. Fireworks quickly erupted between the pair in the Dallas debate hall, with O'Rourke hitting Cruz over immigration while the GOP senator knocked his Democratic challenger over his comments about police. Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s debate: O’Rourke goes toe-to-toe with seasoned debater From start to finish, the hourlong debate between Cruz and O’Rourke was fiery and contentious. Cruz, a seasoned debater going back to his days at Princeton University, leaned on his experience during the competitive 2016 GOP presidential primary, when he appeared in more than a dozen high-profile debates. But even as Cruz aggressively went after O’Rourke in the debate Friday, the Democratic congressman punched back, interrupting the incumbent several times when he claimed the senator was mischaracterizing his positions. “That’s why people don’t like Washington, D.C.,” O’Rourke remarked at one point. “This is your trick and trade, to confuse and incite with fear.” The audience was also rowdy throughout the debate, loudly cheering both candidates. The debate moderators had to repeatedly interject and remind the audience to refrain from clapping. Even when the candidates were asked at the end to say what they admire about one another — which they did — Cruz got in a subtle jab at O'Ro... Link to the full article to read more