Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 192
November Surprises
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) met with former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) last week to discuss a possible 2020 Senate campaign against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in 2020, Politico reports.
O’Rourke, who lost narrowly against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018, “is considering running for president and hasn’t publicly discussed running again for Senate in 2020. But he also hasn’t ruled it out.”
“Beto O’Rourke appears to be close to jumping into the race for president, but some Texas Democrats hope he’ll run for Senate instead,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
“That’s not to say they would be terribly upset by their favorite son running for the White House. But in terms of what’s best for Texas Democrats, some contend challenging Republican incumbent John Cornyn would provide a greater opportunity for victory and push Texas close to becoming a battleground, if not a bluer state.”
Politico: ““Determined not to get caught off guard by shifting demographics and fired-up Democrats, Cornyn is revving up his reelection campaign earlier than ever after O’Rourke’s near upset of Sen. Ted Cruz. Cornyn has already stockpiled more campaign cash than any other senator: $5.8 million. He’s filling high-level campaign jobs.”
“And crucially, Cornyn secured early endorsements from Cruz and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, two of the most prominent conservatives in the state, in a show of force to prevent a primary challenge. … Millions of new voters have flocked to the state in recent years, and reliably Republican areas in the suburbs outside Dallas and Houston — where Cornyn has racked up big margins in past elections — have shifted hard toward Democrats.”
Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) ended up raising an astonishing $80.1 million in his failed bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Dallas Morning News reports.
“The final tally, released late Thursday, is sure to intensify speculation that O’Rourke could mount a campaign in 2020 against President Trump.”
“Much of the attention on O’Rourke has focused on a frenetic campaign style that helped him come within three points of toppling Cruz — the best a Democrat has done statewide in Texas in years — and a social-media-friendly charisma that captivated liberals all over the U.S.”
Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-TX) impressive bid for the Senate fell short, but his concession speech shows why many don’t think his political future is over.
“In a move that is being decried by several members of the Texas congressional delegation, the U.S. Border Patrol announced Monday that it would be conducting an Election Day crowd control exercise in El Paso, the hometown of Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Beto O’Rourke,” the Texas Monthly reports.
“The exercise will take place next to the Chihuahuita neighborhood, a cluster of about one hundred or so homes along the U.S.-Mexico border that is almost exclusively Hispanic. The exercise is planned to occur within half a mile from at least one designated polling station.“
“Glitchy paperless voting machines are affecting an untold number of early voting ballots in Texas and Georgia, raising the specter that two of the most closely watched races could be marred by questions about whether the vote count is accurate,” Politico reports.
“Civil rights groups and voters in both states have filed complaints alleging that the ATM-style touchscreen machines inexplicably deleted some people’s votes for Democratic candidates or switched them to Republican votes.”
First Read: “Who would you rather be right now — Phil Bredesen in Tennessee or Beto O’Rourke in Texas? Both are trailing in red states by 5 points in the latest polls, though that’s within the margin of error.”
“In Bredesen’s favor are his postitive fav/unfav numbers (while Beto is upside down in the polls we’ve seen). In Beto’s favor is his cult-like status, plus all the money he has.”
“So what plays better for a Democrat in a Republican state — bright colors, or moderation?”
A new UT Tyler poll in Texas shows Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) with a four point lead over Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) among registered voters, 47% to 43% among likely voters.
When the survey is narrowed to exclude respondents who are “not sure,” Cruz leads O’Rourke 50% percent to 46%.
A new Quinnipiac poll in Texas finds Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) leading challenger Beto O’Rourke (D) by five points, 51% to 46%.
Said pollster Peter Brown: “O’Rourke is within striking distance, but time is running out in a race that Democrats have hoped would deliver an upset victory that would be key to a Senate takeover.”
The Fort Worth Star Telegram endorsed Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) over Sen. Ted Cruz (R):
This endorsement did not come without some disagreement. Cruz is closer to Texas’ and Tarrant County’s views on issues related to faith and values, and also on energy policy.
But Cruz was elected with no experience in any council or legislature, and it shows. His intransigence prevents him from currying support or negotiating deals to help Texas.
This Editorial Board has recommended conservative Republicans such as George W. Bush and Mitt Romney for president, along with U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison.
But Cruz does not measure up. This office needs a reset.
A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll finds Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) with a six-point edge over Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) in the U.S. Senate race, 51% to 45%.
The Dallas Morning News endorsed Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) for U.S. Senate:
We have been at divisive political moments before, and we know those often end when leaders emerge who find ways to get along personally even when they are engaged in grand, tectonic political debates. That is one of the underappreciated stories of the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill worked together. Even when they fought it out on tough issues, they fostered an enduring friendship.
For this reason more than any other, we favor U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate. The pivotal issue before our country is public leadership, and here we believe O’Rourke’s tone aligns with what is required now. This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O’Rourke’s approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.
“On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R) joked that his opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D), could share a jail cell with Hillary Clinton and spoke darkly of Democratic mobs,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
“A day later, federal authorities said they’d found seven mail bombs sent to the former secretary of state and others… Stumping in Dallas on Wednesday, Cruz denounced overheated rhetoric and political violence of any kind — and lay the bulk of blame on the left for poisoning the nation’s civic discourse.”
Said Cruz: “Violence is wrong wherever it falls in the political spectrum. This is a deep polarized and divided time. That division, that anger is not good for our country, and it is my hope that everyone can just — calm down a little bit.”
The Crystal Ball released a few new Reuters/Ipsos polls of competitive races:
Also interesting:
President Trump said he has buried the hatchet with his 2016 presidential rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) ahead of a campaign rally for the Republican senator in Houston, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “He’s not Lyin’ Ted anymore. He’s Beautiful Ted.”
Texas Tribune: “When President Donald Trump first announced he would travel to Texas to campaign for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, at least one Texas Republican operative prayed for the rally to take place at Kyle Field in College Station — and the sentiment had nothing to do with Aggie pride.”
“At issue was a fear that if the Trump rally took place in one of Texas’ big cities — particularly Dallas or Houston — the president’s presence could further incite the Democratic base in races where Republican incumbents are in the fights of their political lives.”
“The prayer wasn’t answered. Instead, Trump is headed to the heart of Houston on Monday. And some — but not all — Texas Republican operatives are anxious that he could hurt local incumbents, particularly U.S. Rep. John Culberson and state Rep. Sarah Davis.”
The Houston Chronicle endorsed Beto O’Rourke (D) for U.S. Senate in Texas:
There’s one more reason O’Rourke should represent Texas in the U.S. Senate: He would help to serve as a check on a president who is a danger to the republic. Cruz is unwilling to take on that responsibility. Indeed, the man who delighted in calling the Texas senator “Lyin’ Ted” all through the 2016 presidential campaign, who insulted Cruz’s wife and his father, is bringing his traveling campaign medicine show to Houston next week to buoy the Cruz campaign. The hyperbole, the hypocrisy and the rancorous hot air just might blow the roof off the Toyota Center.
While the bloviations emanate from the arena next week, imagine how refreshing it would be to have a U.S. senator who not only knows the issues but respects the opposition, who takes firm positions but reaches out to those who disagree, who expects to make government work for Texas and the nation. Beto O’Rourke, we believe, is that senator.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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