O’Rourke Would Have a Tougher Battle Against Cornyn

A new Quinnipiac poll in Texas finds Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) approval rate at 43% to 26%, putting his net approval at +17.

First Read: “One person who’s probably paying attention to those numbers? Beto O’Rourke (D), who’s being encouraged to run for either president of the United States or to run against Cornyn in 2020.”

“Cornyn is less well known than Ted Cruz (R-TX), who just barely beat O’Rourke in November. (About 31 percent of Texans don’t have an opinion of Cornyn, while only nine percent say the same for Cruz.) But Cruz’s negatives — at 40% disapproval — are significantly higher than Cornyn’s, putting his net approval rating at +11.”

“All of that paints a picture of a much trickier race for O’Rourke over Cornyn than his recent attempt to take on one of the Senate’s most polarizing members.”