Polling at only 3% nationally among Democratic candidates for President, some believe Beto O'Rourke would be better served running for Senate in Texas, where he competed well with Ted Cruz in 2018. O'Rourke won't need to decide immediately as the filing deadline for the Senate race in Texas is not until early December and he already has $5.2 million in campaign funds that he could apply to his presidential candidacy or a potential Senate race. Taking on the incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn next year in a conservative state would pose another challenge, but similar to one he did not shy away from last year when suffering a narrow defeat in an attempt to win Ted Cruz's Senate seat.
Discussion Questions
1. Should Beto O'Rourke continue is presidential campaign or shift to a Senate race in Texas?
2. If he can't win the Democratic nomination for President, is he a potential vice-presidential candidate?
3. Are Beto O'Rourke's six years as a representative in Texas enough political experience or will the fact that he's currently not in politics be a problem for him in next year's election?
Sources: CNN, RealClearPolitics
While his polls are low now, it is relatively early to determine whether or not he should drop out of the race. From what it looks like, his chances of winning are slim, but then again, he could have a spotlight moment at the next debate. If his ratings remain stagnant over the next few months, I think he shouldn't continue his presidential campaign. As for the Senate race, he did make it clear in the last few days that he was not going to run for Senate, but one year ago, he also said he wasn't going to run for president. After the El Paso shooting, O'Rourke showed strength being there for his community in Texas which could have increased his approval ratings in that state, but given that Texas has consistently been a red state for decades, the likelihood of him winning in such a conservative-populated state are low. His fate in politics is seemingly easy to predict, but at the same time, there's always twists and turns.
ReplyDeleteI think O’Rourke should end his presidential campaign and begin the shift to running for Senate because earlier this year he was doing okay in the polls but he now is at 3% and it seems like he is plateauing or continuing to decline in the polls. Part of this could be due to his lack of experience in politics compared to some of the other candidates, which is why running for senate would be good for gaining experience. Since the deadline isn’t until December though, he could stay in the presidential race for a bit longer to try and gain more popularity, then make the shift to running for senate so he would be starting the race with some followers, and have more of a chance than last time.
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