We will see but I think Cruz has a fight on his hands. Beto is more charismatic than Wendy. I think it will be tight. Cruz can’t **** around.
up until this post, bigtexx been dismissive of Beto, refusing to even mention his name when posting about the Beto / Rafael race. , in this post, just by mention Beto's name, he is acknowledgng Beto's existence, albeit begrudgingly, underscoring his fear of Beto's steady gain on the polls. too close for comfort. can we say "back-pedaling" ! fwiw, Rafael Cruz has been the ultimate *******, even among Republican circles, the direct opposite of Greg Abbott. thus, the comparison to the Wendy Davis / Abbott race is off base
Didn't even think there were 700 people in Johnson City. EDIT: There's about 2100 people in Johnson City. Roughly 1/3 of their population came out to see him.
There's 20-something thousand people w/in a 30 minute drive, but still it's impressive for a hot as hell Sunday afternoon.
In the rural Texas town I grew up in, I'd never seen a campaign sign for a Democratic gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidate . (Maybe they had some for Lloyd Bentsen, but I can't remember.) I've seen dozens of Beto signs planted in front yards. It's anecdotal, but it feels like something's happening.
A lot of old white people in the crowd. I’m sure Ted Cruz wins but this is an odd situation. If Beto some how shocked and won, he would likely become a star in his party.
I was shocked in my recent visit to Texas how many Beto signs I saw all over the place in Houston, but also in New Braunfels and those communities. I figured Houston would go against Cruz, but there seems to be more passion in the Beto movement than I would have imagined. It's an uphill battle for him, but he seems like he's worked incredibly hard the old-fashioned way. He isn't taking special interest money, he's gone or is going to every single county in the state to campaign and meet people. Win or lose the guy is putting in a lot of effort. I would be amazed if he won. But if he did, then he should be a star in the party and his work ethic and strategy might be a nice blueprint for other challenger candidates to follow.
It'll be closer than that IMO. I think Whitey O'Rourke manages to get within 10 points, the question will be if you ever hear from him again after the inevitable loss. Wendy Davis went from "rising star" to trivia question in just a few years, will O'Rourke stay in politics for any length of time after he loses to Cruz? Veronica Escobar will have his seat in the House, will he try to run against her to get it back in 2020?
Those comparing this to Wendy Davis are incorrect that this is a similar situation. For one, Davis was boosted by a single event where she was a relative unknown before hand. Congressman O'Rourke has been building this from the ground level. He's been out and about, covering most of the entire state with town halls, meeting constituents one by one. Davis was the wrong candidate at the wrong time. The overwhelming perception was that she was a 1-issue candidate. There was no message outside of "She was the one that did that thing." This is entirely different. Beto is the right candidate running against the right incumbent at the right time. He's not based on a single issue and is covering the state. I'm seeing signs in places I would've never expected. He's built his name recognition organically across the state...and the crowds only continue to grow. Doesn't hurt that he's running against someone who is making the assumption that his re-election is in the bag and that Texans aren't capable of separating the candidate from the party. Bringing trump in is the height of hypocrisy and desperation. Still a ton of work for him to do and he needs to be prepared for the debates. That's make-or-break time for him.
I still can't help but laugh at these two. If a Cuban Latino changing his name to sound more white Republican going against a White boy changing his name to sound more latin/minority Democrat isn't a reflection of American parties and politics I don't know what is!
