Photo courtesy of Business Insider.
After the 2018 midterm election, Beto O’Rourke was a rising star in the Democratic party, but the Texas native’s career has since fizzled out. I write this as someone who still supports Beto O’Rourke, but also as someone who is choosing to be realistic.
I volunteered for Beto’s 2018 Texas Senate campaign by hosting phone banks in both Texas and New York, and I got to meet him at his Dallas campaign headquarters opening party. I was pretty devastated when he lost the Senate race to Ted Cruz in November of 2018, and I wrote a whole article about what Beto should do next in the aftermath of his slim defeat. He was defeated, but he was a national figure thanks to his role in changing Texas from a solid red state to a deep purple state.
There was uncertainty surrounding Beto’s next move after his loss to Ted Cruz, but some speculated that he would challenge Senator John Cornyn in 2020 when Cornyn is up for reelection, or that he might run for President of the United States.
March 14th, 2019, the day Beto announced his entry into the 2020 presidential race, was so exciting for me! I donated to his campaign immediately, and I was elated to see $6.1 million raised online during the first 24 hours after his announcement. This amount was even more than Bernie Sanders’ first-day haul of $5.9 million. Things were looking good for O’Rourke at the time.
However, the 2020 Democratic field is crowded, arguably too crowded. There are too many candidates and not enough oxygen for them all to get their messages across. The debates have been a bit muddled and chaotic, with candidates talking over each other to get the best soundbites and video clips for social media.
Also, recent polls show that O’Rourke has anywhere from 0-2% support in comparison to other 2020 candidates. That’s not good. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden are consistently the top polling candidates, and O’Rourke isn’t anywhere close to their numbers.
I support Beto O’Rourke and his policies. I think that his candidacy has been meaningful and he has helped to change Texas into a battleground state, but let’s be realistic about 2020. It’s just not likely to go well for him. With low poll numbers, drops in fundraising, and less media attention from the crowded field, he’s not getting the attention he needs to run a viable campaign. I also think that he has had relatively few breakout moments from the Democratic debates.
Photo courtesy of MPR News.
A notable moment was when O’Rourke, during the September debate, voiced his support for a mandatory assault weapons buyback program and said “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” This was extremely controversial, and basically turned him into a major target and punching bag for conservative critics. It was a noteworthy moment, but it could backfire and cause him to lose support from moderate voters that are strong gun supporters.
With all of this said, I just don’t think 2020 is the year that Beto O’Rourke will win the election to become president of the United States. Maybe he should drop out of the presidential race and enter the Senate race again in Texas to try to unseat Republican Senator John Cornyn. According to the Washington Post, Beto needs to decide what to do next before December 9, 2019, which is the filing deadline to be a candidate in Texas. This date is also before any presidential primary votes are cast in the early-voting battleground states.
I think that since Beto is unlikely to secure the Democratic nomination for president, he should drop out of the race and entertain other ventures. However, another Senate run is risky, especially since he lost to Ted Cruz in 2018 and has now made strict gun control an important part of his campaign, which is something unpopular with a lot of Texas voters. He could also try to win back his seat in the House of Representatives, which might be a more comfortable option.
As someone who still supports Beto O’Rourke, I think he should choose a few key issues that have been central to his career (i.e. gun control, immigration reform, criminal justice reform), and really focus on making significant change in these areas. A failed presidential run doesn’t necessarily mean a failed political career. What matters most is how he bounces back after this race and how he uses his strengths and belief in bipartisanship to promote meaningful causes.
Overall, Beto O’Rourke, a once shining Democratic star has fizzled. I am not sure what his next step should be, but I don’t think that continuing to pursue the Democratic nomination is in his best interest. All I can say is: Beto luck next time.
Cassi Niedziela
