Could Beto be back? O'Rourke mulling bid for Texas governor

[brooklynite]

AP News

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — There’s no road trip, no soul searching. No beard or blogging. But Beto O’Rourke is making a political life decision again.

Three years after becoming Democrats’ breakout star out of Texas, and a year removed from crashing back to Earth in a short-lived presidential run, O’Rourke is again weighing another campaign — this time for governor.

But now O’Rourke, who teased an announcement of his bid for the White House on the cover of Vanity Fair, is being quiet about it. He says he hasn’t ruled out anything, but isn’t saying much else. And Texas Democrats are itching for an answer.

“Impatience is not the word for it,” Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said. “But anxious is.”

Before you ask me to get excited, show me how he can win a Statewide race.

[LizBeth]

1. He is such a good man. We have Dems that did not get in office tht I think is such an huge

missed opportunity for us.

[blue neen]

2. I'm not asking you to get excited. You can do whatever you want.

[jcgoldie]

3. You got a better candidate?

Go Beto.

[brooklynite]

15. I don't HAVE a candidate...

First, I still have a 2021 Municipal Primary to get through.

Second, there's likely to be an open Primary, and I don't like to make Primary choices as an out of State non-voter.

[jcgoldie]

16. But

You do feel the need to share your lack of enthusiasm

[brooklynite]

17. Last time I checked, this is a political discussion Board...

...we're entitled to share our opinions, enthusiastic or not.

Come the 2022 Election, I'm going to be looking for a candidate who can actually win. Losing to someone as unpopular as Cruz isn't a good starting point.

[jcgoldie]

19. I guess you're right

Holy shit it is a political discussion board. Why don't you discuss who you think would have beat Ted Cruz. Or are you just here to tear down potential Democratic candidates and provide no alternatives?

[brooklynite]

20. I'm here to wait until Texas voters make their Primary choice...

...and then to decide if Texas is a winnable Governor's race when the inevitable requests for my cash show up. But since I could (correctly) assume that people here would leap to Beto's race, making a cautionary observation of his previous performance seems appropriate.

[jcgoldie]

21. So your argument seems to be

Beto generates too much excitement... best to tamp that down from the beginning...

[brooklynite]

30. Beto generates excitement among the blogosphere...show me he can among voters.

A majority of them would be nice.

[Trailrider1951]

33. If I still lived in Texas, I would vote for him for governor in a heartbeat

And so would most of my family and friends. Beto is very popular among them, and they think that it's time for Abbott, Patrick et.al. to take a hike.

[LanternWaste]

27. So, "show me he can win a statement race" to better maintain your noncommittal stance?

Sounds... most incidental and self-negligible at best.

No doubt, your caution has dissuaded gallons of frivolous, unnecessary, and fallacious excitement.

Congratulations?

[Bucky]

4. I'd like to win here. But the reality is that we need to put forward our best candidates & work it

As the alternative is to wait to run a candidate until we suddenly "have a winner", I think I'd rather put our message out with out best messengers and work the fundamentals of the game.

[hurl]

5. Would love to see him as governor

but they'll just play and endless loop of "Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47." That would boost wingnut turnout.

[hlthe2b]

6. Texas doesn't DESERVE Beto as Governor, but Texas surely NEEDS Beto as Governor.

[Takket]

7. He could win the statewide race if...

Manchin and sinema abolish the filibuster and let us pass the voting rights act.

Texas is only going to enact MORE voter suppression laws than it already had. No Democrat can win Texas when the election is rigged by voter suppression

[SYFROYH]

8. I dunno. There are things I like about Beto, but he seemed to lose control a bit...

...during the primary.

His stance on guns probably burned him in a pro-gun state.

Even those people who don't think we should keep selling ARs and AKs were repulsed by his call for confiscation.

[Treefrog]

9. Has he had a job in the last few years?

[TexasTowelie]

10. Yes.

He just completed teaching stints at Texas State University and the University of Texas this spring.

[Treefrog]

18. "Teaching stints."

Oookay

[TexasTowelie]

26. You asked

and Beto held two jobs concurrently while still doing political advocacy.

[LanternWaste]

28. "Movin' the goalposts"

Oookay

[greenjar_01]

11. Can't this guy just run for a safe Dem seat in Austin? fuckssake

Ooof.

[OnDoutside]

12. I think its just the way it has to be until he finally breaks through. He is becoming better and

better, and becoming more of a candidate of stature within Texas. I really don't see another Dem candidate who is anywhere near his level YET, and Democrats need someone of his calibre pushing at every big election, until he breaks through.

[2naSalit]

13. He's certainly been putting in the legwork...

Since the primaries. I hope he gets back into office somewhere soon.

[OnDoutside]

14. I agree, and apart from Judge Hidalgo, (plus the Castro boys) there aren't a lot of Dems appearing

to break through yet.

[ananda]

22. With voter suppression laws in place, I don't know how Beto can win.

I really don't know how any Dem can win in Texas now.

[Treefrog]

25. I don't think Beto can win period.

He’s just not going to.

A nice thought, but it won’t happen.

[LanternWaste]

29. It then invites the obvious question..

If not O'Rourke, which viable candidate then do you believe can win period?

[ananda]

32. I think he could. Remember the deep freeze?

But only without voter suppression in place.

[tritsofme]

23. It's hard to see a reality where his quixotic presidential campaign didn't ruin him as a statewide

candidate for at least several cycles.

[In It to Win It]

24. TAKE MY MONEY NOW!

I'm all in!

[JI7]

31. Is anyone asking you to get excited ?

[keithsw]

34. I remember

When a lot of people said we couldn't win two senate seats in Georgia also