Sources: Beto O'Rourke won't challenge John Cornyn for Senate, paving way for presidential bid

[applegrove]

By Gromer Jeffers Jr. at Dallas News

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections-2020/2019/02/27/sources-beto-orourke-wontchallenge-john-cornyn-senate-paving-way-presidential-bid

"SNIP.....

Beto O'Rourke has decided not to run for U.S. Senate next year against Texas Republican incumbent John Cornyn and likely will announce a campaign for president soon, people close to the former El Paso congressman told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday. 

......

A December Des Moines Register poll showed O'Rourke trailing only former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Party nomination for president. O'Rourke finished first nationally in a straw poll conducted among members of the progressive group MoveOn.org.

But since then, candidates including Sen. Kamala Harris of California have risen in the polls and appear to be getting traction in early battleground states like Iowa.

"It seems like his star was fading," said University of Iowa political scientist Tim Hagle. "That would be because he's not in the news."


.....SNIP"

[Awsi Dooger]

1. Beto changes the dynamic in a hurry

He has already jumped 4 cents on Predictit, up to 17 cents (17%) to win the nomination. That makes him the 4th choice behind Sanders (23) Harris (20) and Biden (19).

Since there is still some play in the number due to Beto yet to officially announce, he will undoubtedly move up even more if he does officially declare, basically smack alongside the others in the top tier.

Conventional wisdom here seems to have been that Beto would remain well back even if he entered. That was always nonsense. There is no juggernaut in this cycle.

[applegrove]

2. Also Beto losing to Ted Cruz. It was close wasn't it and Texas is a red state.

So that Beto can appeal to red state people is a plus in my book. What other Democrat can really say that?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/elections/results/texas-senate.amp.html

[Amimnoch]

3. AND gave some HUGE down ticket bumps.

My own district, Texas district 7, a gerrymandered district, that has been held solidly by Republicans, and only Republicans since George HW Bush took it in the 1960’s is now held by Lizzie Fletcher!!!

I was very active with my miniVan app and canvassing for Lizzie and Beto during the campaign season last year. I can 100% affirm it was the Beto effect that handed us this district.

Take Beto out of 2018, and I can just about guarantee we’d still have that jackass Culberson in the House instead of the great Lizzie up in there.

Beto engergizes people in a way that I haven’t seen since Obama.

Beto can actually put Texas 38 electoral college votes into play like NO other candidate in these races can. There’s a few candidates that might be able to swing this reddish/purple state, most in the current pool have no chance at all, but none have a better chance of swinging it than Beto does.

[applegrove]

4. I look forward to getting to know Beto and him raising the bar for all

the Democratic candidates.

[shanny]

5. overreach imo

he should run for Senate, build the party in Texas and help turn the state blue for 2020

[Empowerer]

6. +1

"Almost" winning a state just doesn't do it for me.

We like Beto, but I think he's in danger of tripping over his own hype.