… Since his November 2018 Senate loss to Ted Cruz, O’Rourke has been one of the most-buzzed-about potential candidates in the 2020 Democratic field. That excitement could help propel him to the top of the primary heap, but first he’ll need to prove that he can run — and endure […] Read more »
Battleground States Then (2012/2016) vs. Now (2018/2019)
Was the 2016 election a one-off — a once-in-a-lifetime contest between two fundamentally flawed contestants? Or, was it a realignment election; the end of Democratic dominance in the industrial Midwest as well as the loosening of the Republican grip on southwestern states like Arizona and Texas? Was Clinton the outlier […] Read more »
Why Texas Is Nearing Battleground Status (It’s Not Just About Beto)
The dream of a “Blue Texas” has captured the imagination of Democrats for nearly a decade, and Beto O’Rourke has come closer than anyone to making a statewide victory a reality. His strengths as a candidate in his narrow loss in a 2018 Senate race against Ted Cruz — by […] Read more »
Is Beto O’Rourke the next Barack Obama? Not quite.
Beto O’Rourke, who entered the race for president on Thursday, has drawn comparisons to another young, relatively inexperienced Democrat: Barack Obama. And while there are ways that O’Rourke can claim to be like Obama, there are a number reasons he cannot (beyond biographical details). First let’s tackle how they are […] Read more »
N.C. voters favor Biden, Sanders over other 2020 presidential contenders
The field of Democratic and independent contenders for the presidency is becoming increasingly crowded as voters look ahead to the first presidential primary next year. At the same time, North Carolina is poised to retain its status as a battleground state, with Charlotte preparing to host the Republican National Convention […] Read more »
No 2020 Democrat Has a Monopoly on Younger Voters
Beto O’Rourke’s announcement Thursday that he’s seeking the presidency will compound a demographic mismatch that could powerfully shape the outcome of the 2020 Democratic race. … Even in a rapidly diversifying party, it’s virtually certain that most Democratic primary voters next year will be older than 45. Yet most of […] Read more »