Vice President Mike Pence gives a thumbs-up to supporters as he gets off Air Force Two with U.S. Representative Pete Sessions after arriving at Love Field Airport in Dallas on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Pence will attend a Pete Sessions for Congress event and a Ted Cruz for Senate event before flying to Missouri later Monday. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

DALLAS (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence headlined two Dallas rallies in the same hotel for Republican congressional incumbents facing stiff Democratic challenges.

Pence first rallied supporters for incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, a Dallas Republican who faces a challenge from Democrat Colin Allred, a Dallas lawyer and former Baylor and Tennessee Titans linebacker. Pence, whom Sessions called a close friend, hailed Sessions for his consistent support for President Donald Trump’s policies.

Then, Pence moved to a different ballroom at the same North Dallas hotel to rally support for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who faces a tough battle from U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, an El Paso Democrat. Pence praised Cruz for his support for Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court associate justice.