I am so old, I can remember when Texas had a Democratic governor–most recently, Ann Richards, a vicious left-winger, who departed in 1995 after losing to George W. Bush. And a Democratic senator–most recently, Bob Krueger, who filled the last five months of Lloyd Bentsen’s term, and left office in 1993. So it has been a long drought for Texas Democrats.
But hope springs eternal. To their credit, Democrats have spent a great deal of money, trying to turn Texas blue. Apart from the fact that Texas is full of conservatives, Democrats have suffered from a dearth of good candidates. They have trotted out Beto O’Rourke a couple of times, with high hopes, only to see him crushed. Occasionally a poll will show a Democrat within striking distance in a statewide race, but the close contest is revealed as a mirage on Election Day.
Now it may be Jasmine Crockett’s turn. The fiery left-winger has filed to run against John Cornyn next November. Of course, Cornyn may face a tough primary contest against Ken Paxton. But either way, Crockett is a female Beto O’Rourke.
Crockett stated last week that she was “closer to yes than I am no” on running for Cornyn’s seat, arguing that a coalition of “black and brown voters” would help her win.
But Hispanics–brown voters, I take it–were President Trump’s best ethnic demographic in 2024, and Texas Hispanics in particular have been flocking to the GOP. If merely not being white were the ticket to statewide victory in Texas, Democrats would have cracked the code long ago.
So, welcome to the race, Jasmine. We might hope that losing the Senate race would mark the end of your career in public life, but then we have the example of O’Rourke. Even if she loses, the Democrats could continue running Crockett for several cycles to come.
