Remember when Barack Obama had the golden touch? He gave his blessing to a Democrat, and their star shot up into space.
Well, those days are gone, and they have been over for quite some time
Unfortunately for Democrats, at a time when Texas may be more susceptible than ever to losing a Republican Senate seat, Obama just knighted one of the top challengers.
I live in Texas, and I can tell you that I am far from excited about our prospects in this upcoming Senate primary race.
The three leading candidates are incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), with several others rumored to be entering the race.
Paxton and Cornyn are in a virtual tie, with Hunt lagging way behind.
The problem is that Paxton has more baggage than a Samsonite shop, and Cornyn is a Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) loyalist from the establishment. Speaking truthfully, I don’t like either one of them, and the mudslinging is going to be vicious in this race.
Democrats had a real shot in 2018, as Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was about as unpopular as one could be, and the new wave of Democrat voters who had relocated to Texas made this a real slugfest.
When all was said and done, Cruz won by about 2.5%, a margin of about 215,000 votes, which was far too close for comfort
O’Rourke had the benefit of being backed by Obama and a ton of outside money, which was the only reason this was even close.
That, however, inspired O’Rourke to take a shot at Governor Abbott as well as running for president, where he failed miserably on both fronts.
I believe O’Rourke was the beginning of the end for Obama, who recently stated about O’Rourke, “What I liked most about [O’Rourke’s] race was that it didn’t feel constantly poll-tested. It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed. And that, you’d like to think, is normally how things work.”
He continued, “Sadly, it’s not … The reason I was able to make a connection with a sizeable portion of the country was because people had a sense that I said what I meant. And that’s a quality that, as I look at what I’m sure will be a strong field of candidates in 2020.”
Now, Obama is backing James Talarico, whom Democrats have big plans for and are hoping he can challenge for that Senate seat in 2026. On the newcomer, Obama stated, “There’s this young state rep, James Talarico… He’s terrific. Really talented young man.”
I am hoping that curse works because the slate is thin for Republicans in this race. And as much as I dislike Cornyn, I think he would have a far better chance of winning than Paxton. The good news for the GOP is that whoever comes out of that race will likely get Trump’s endorsement, which should calm the waters from the mud that will be flying during the primary. I have always said that when a Democrat wins a Senate seat in Texas, I am going to pack my bags… so let’s hope the suitcase stays in the closet a bit longer.
