For U.S. Senate
Beto O’Rourke offers Texas Democrats a statewide hope for November.
Almost a quarter century has passed since a Democrat won a statewide office in Texas. The only way it will happen again is with the help of good candidates running in races they know they'll probably lose.
Taking on U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is one of those longshot campaigns. Joaquin Castro, safely ensconced in a San Antonio congressional seat, apparently realized this last year when he announced he wasn't interested in running for the Senate in 2018. But Beto O'Rourke, the charismatic congressman from El Paso, decided to take on the challenge and announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
A funny thing has happened since then. O'Rourke raised more money than Cruz in the last quarter of last year. A couple of admittedly questionable polls have shown this race to be closer than expected. And energetic crowds of fired up Democrats have turned out across the state to meet the congressman challenging Cruz.
Although there are three candidates on the ballot in this primary, the obvious choice for Texas Democrats is O'Rourke.
Unlike Cruz, who's widely disliked even by many of his Republican colleagues, O'Rourke has a reputation for reaching across the aisle to get what he wants. As the congressman for the city that's home to Fort Bliss, O'Rourke has used his post on the House Committee for Armed Services and Veterans Affairs to secure bipartisan support for legislation to expand mental health care.
O'Rourke is refusing to accept PAC money, a principled decision that's forcing him to run a vigorous grassroots campaign. He's vowed to visit all 254 counties, including Republican strongholds where he hopes to win over not only swing voters but also Trump supporters disillusioned with Cruz. O'Rourke will need all the ground game he can get; Cruz rose to power by running a startlingly effective grassroots campaign against former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
O'Rourke's two opponents in the Democratic primary, who did not meet with the editorial board, have been all but invisible. Sema Hernandez is a selfdescribed "Berniecrat" with a crowd funding drive that's raised a little more than $7,000. Edward Kimbrough is a retired postal worker whose website emphasizes his life story and a series of Bible-based principles for federal elected officials. Neither of them have reported any campaign finance activity to the Federal Election Commission.
Even if he loses in November, O'Rourke topping the ticket should help out Democrats running in lower profile races down the ballot. He's exactly the kind of candidate his party needs as its standard bearer in the 2018 elections.