O’Rourke could be player in wide- open Democratic race
chief strategist for victorious Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. “I pray for the soul of anyone who has to run against him in Iowa.”
O’Rourke compares favorably in age (46) and experience (12 years in elective office) to the four other post-World War II Democrats who returned their party to presidential power — John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
“He’s got everything the liberals love — great speeches, great looks and he loses elections,” joshed comedian Michael Che on NBC’s Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. Here’s a more serious look at his pluses and minuses: Pluses: • Charisma. In his yearlong campaign, O’Rourke attracted the fervently cheering crowds that greeted the Barack Obamas and Donald Trumps. That quality seems lacking in the current field, though it’s very early and one or more could catch on.
• Name ID. Thanks to the massive national publicity for his Senate race and the lifelong nickname Cruz sought to denigrate, Robert Francis O’Rourke — aka Beto — has a big advantage over lesser known rivals.
• Fundraising ability. Raising an unprecedented $70 million for his Senate race means O’Rourke has one of the country’s best fundraising lists.
• Freshness plus experience. It’s good that he’s new to the national stage, but his six years on the El Paso City Council and six in Congress compare favorably with Kennedy (14 years), Carter (8), Clinton (14) and Obama (12).
• Superb retail political skills. They’re crucial in the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. After visiting all 254 Texas counties, Iowa’s 99 should be a breeze.
• Communications skills. He showed himself in the 2018 campaign to be an excellent communicator. Texas, with its diverse population and 20 media markets, is great preparation for a national race.
• Doesn’t hold office. History shows running for president is a lot easier when unconstrained by the demands of public office. Jimmy Carter showed that. So did Donald Trump. Minuses: • Limited national political experience. Running for president is very hard, and no House member has won the presidency since James Garfield without also holding higher office.
• He’d have trouble winning Texas’ 38 electoral votes. But Trump lost New York, and Al Gore lost Tennessee in 2000, though he lost the election too.
• Questionable 2018 tactics. Some critics say he could have won by running as more of a centrist than a liberal. But his success stemmed more from persona than issues.
• His debate skills are still a work in progress. In his 2018 confrontations against Cruz, he sometimes seemed unsure how to deal with aggressive attacks.
• Toughness. Trump knows no bounds in political combat. Soon after O’Rourke accused Cruz in a debate of reverting to the “Lyin’ Ted” moniker Trump gave him, he apologized, saying, “I took a step too far.” That’s not the way to run against Trump.
• Lingering questions about whether he sought to leave the scene of the 1998 accident where he was charged with driving while intoxicated. Such issues are always re-litigated in a national race. Just ask Bill Clinton.
• Exhaustion. O’Rourke’s comments barring a 2020 race reflect the fact he just finished an exhausting campaign. Citing his three children aged 11, 10 and 7, he said, “we’re devoted and committed to being a family again.”
• Lost his only statewide race. So did Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush (twice).
“We’ll see you out there, down the road,” O’Rourke promised in ending his Senate campaign. And in an email, he said, “I want to be part of the best way forward for this country — whatever way I can help in whatever form that takes.”
That sounds even less Shermanesque. And if it does, Beto could become a major player in the most wide-open Democratic presidential race in a quarter century.