Some Texas Dems push for O’Rourke to challenge Cornyn
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.
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.
“He just needs to decide where he thinks he can better serve and have a better chance of winning,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. “It’s not just can he do more as president, but where can he win?”
Hinojosa, who said he would be fine with whatever decision O’Rourke makes, said the best chance for the former El Paso congressman to score a groundbreaking victory is against Cornyn in 2020.
O’Rourke, and by extension Texas Democrats, are faced with a difficult decision. Does he take on the difficult task of running for president, a high-risk, even higher-reward venture? Or does he make the seemingly safer choice of running against Cornyn, though that would also be a difficult contest?
His choice could determine the future of the Texas Democratic Party that’s been struggling for decades to get out of the political wilderness.
“The consensus is that if he does run for Senate, he has a good chance of winning,” Hinojosa said.
Ed Espinoza, executive director of the progressive policy group Progress Texas, agreed. He said that O’Rourke is a proven fundraiser with a field operation ready to ignite again. An O’Rourke campaign could not only get past Cornyn, but help Texas Democrats make gains in Congress and maybe take control of the Texas House.
“If he runs for Senate, there will be a heck of a lot more enthusiasm here at home than in Iowa or New Hampshire,” Espinoza said, though conceding that “Beto O’Rourke could successfully do whatever he wanted.”
For his part, Cornyn is preparing for a serious challenge from O’Rourke or any other Democrat, including former San Antonio mayor Julián Castro or his twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro, DSan Antonio.
“Whether it’s billionaire Beto O’Rourke or one of the Castros, the senator is looking forward to contrasting his vision for the country against their vision,” said Cornyn campaign manager John Jackson.
O’Rourke became a presidential contender after his close Senate contest against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in November. He lost to Cruz by 2.6 percentage points, a groundbreaking result given that a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.
The El Paso Democrat was despondent after his loss to Cruz, telling Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday,“I felt a profound disappointment in myself that I let so many people down.”
But as a “Draft Beto” for president movement began to take shape, he gave serious consideration to the idea of joining the crowded Democratic Party field for president. He told Winfrey that he would make a decision by the end of the month.
Some analysts view the Senate race as the best path to a win.
Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said O’Rourke should abandon dreams of the White House and run for Senate.
He said O’Rourke has already run effectively in the state, building a field organization, a fundraising base and high-name recognition.
He added that polls show Cornyn is not as popular with the GOP base as Cruz, and that Democratic turnout in 2020 would be higher than in 2018, making it easier for O’Rourke to prevail.