As Harris draws crowds, some ask: Can only Beto turn Texas blue?

[TexasTowelie]

FORT WORTH -- California Democrat Kamala Harris is in Texas this weekend winning some Democrats’ hearts.

But in a state where no Democratic candidate for president has won in nearly half a century, the party’s success might still rely on El Paso Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s volunteer force and money.

In 2016, the last time Democrats didn’t have O’Rourke on the statewide ballot, presidential nominee Hillary Clinton lost by 9 points. Yet when O’Rourke spent $80 million in 2018, Democrats flipped more than a dozen seats in federal and state offices.

National candidates might say the 2020 election won’t be about wealth, money or privilege.

Read more: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article228327964.html

[FBaggins]

1. Assumes facts not it evidence

Beto couldn’t turn TX blue... and arguably the only reason he came close is because Cruz was his opponent.

[itsrobert]

2. Here's the facts in evidence

"In 2018, Democrats flipped more than a dozen seats in federal and state offices. "

Are you saying that is not turning TX blue?

[FBaggins]

4. That's "slightly purple"

Turning a state blue implies winning statewide races or majorities in the state legislature. “Picking up seats” is not turning a state blue.

The House delegation from TX is 23-10 Red.

and, of course, Beto was hardly the only factor in TX elections last year.

[itsrobert]

5. It's incremental change

a very positive thing. The word "turning" is different than "turned" Turning is usually in the process. Turned is it already has happened. Nothing in the article says Beto has turned Texas blue. It basically asking a question, "Can only Beto turn Texas blue?" The evidence is that Texas has picked up some blue seats with Beto bringing in new voters to the Democrats.

[Cha]

9. Exactly.. some just don't realize how phenomenal this was..

How the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke became the closest in Texas in 40 years

“Who?”

That was the reaction back in late 2016 from former Houston Mayor Annise Parker when she first heard that a sophomore Democratic congressman from El Paso named Beto O’Rourke was mulling a challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Parker, like most other Texans, had absolutely no clue who O’Rourke was, or why she should take seriously his potential entry into a race that many Democrats viewed as a suicide mission.

Almost exactly two years later, O'Rourke fell roughly 220,000 votes short out of 8.3 million of unseating Cruz, closer to winning a statewide office than any Texas Democrat in a generation. The strength of his candidacy helped Texas Democrats pick up two U.S. House seats, two state Senate seats and a dozen state House seats

.
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/11/09/ted-cruz-beto-orourke-closest-texas-race-40-years/

[dalton99a]

10. Beto flipped this county in November

Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, was solid Republican. It was a big wake-up call for the GOP

[dem4decades]

3. I was thinking the same thing. Cruz is a huge jerk and still won. Texas has issues.

[brooklynite]

6. In BOTH cases, crowds do not translate to vote...

[still_one]

7. that is for sure, and that was exemplified in 2016

[Cha]

8. Beto almost beat cruz by

less 3%. And, his fundraising and campaigning was phenomenal!

How the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke became the closest in Texas in 40 years

“Who?”

That was the reaction back in late 2016 from former Houston Mayor Annise Parker when she first heard that a sophomore Democratic congressman from El Paso named Beto O’Rourke was mulling a challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Parker, like most other Texans, had absolutely no clue who O’Rourke was, or why she should take seriously his potential entry into a race that many Democrats viewed as a suicide mission.

Almost exactly two years later, O'Rourke fell roughly 220,000 votes short out of 8.3 million of unseating Cruz, closer to winning a statewide office than any Texas Democrat in a generation. The strength of his candidacy helped Texas Democrats pick up two U.S. House seats, two state Senate seats and a dozen state House seats

.
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/11/09/ted-cruz-beto-orourke-closest-texas-race-40-years/

[Gothmog]

11. The Democrats Trump Fears Most

trump is worried about three possible Democratic nominees https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/24/the-democrats-trump-fears-most/

“President Trump has publicly boasted that he could beat any of his 2020 Democratic challengers. But privately, several members of the Trump campaign see a few who could pose a threat to his re-election, and are in the early stages of building out their strategy for attack,” Axios reports.

“The three candidates that seem to concern the Trump campaign most are Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke. That’s in no particular order, and you’ll get a different answer depending on who you talk to.”

I think that any of these three could turn Texas blue