Post by Webster on Jun 6, 2018 23:36:16 GMT -5
The Guardian: The Texas Democrat hoping to unseat Ted Cruz, one county at a time
-Read more: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/04/beto-orourke-texas-senate-ted-cruz-election
Late in the afternoon of the last Friday in May, as the temperature soared over 100F (38C), the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas was going door to door. There were not many doors to knock on: Mentone, in Loving county in the far west of the state, is home to perhaps two dozen people. But Beto O’Rourke had come as part of a pledge to visit all 254 counties, in his bid to unseat the Republican Ted Cruz.
Unanimously, political analysts say the 45-year-old is a long-shot to reach the Senate. Cruz is a conservative leader who finished second to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential primary. Texas hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, when O’Rourke was in high school. The party hasn’t won a statewide race since 1994.
Some recent polls have given O’Rourke hope, showing Cruz with a single-digit lead in a state where Republicans have grown accustomed to wins of 15 points or more. However, a Quinnipiac Poll released on Wednesday showed Cruz 11 points ahead.
In Mentone, O’Rourke got no answer at his first stop. But Stan Moore, a genial 70-year-old, invited O’Rourke inside a modest home he shares with his wife Ray, a Loving county native. “Well, I want to say something first,” Moore said with a smile. “I’m a Republican.”
“That’s OK, there’s no obligation to vote for us,” said O’Rourke, a congressman from El Paso. What followed was an idealized – and nearly extinct – version of American politics. Candidate and voter had a respectful conversation about issues both global and hyper-local.
Moore explained his family political history. It was a story recognizable to many Texans and it helped explain why O’Rourke is fighting an uphill battle: “My parents grew up Democrats. They loved [Franklin] Roosevelt, you know. I was a Democrat until in my early 30s, and I just began to feel like what I wanted to do was more toward the Republican side.”
They discussed the energy boom, which has swelled Loving county’s population from 82 in the 2010 census to an estimated 139 in 2017. (The county covers 677 sq miles, slightly larger than London.) When O’Rourke asked about national issues that concern him, Moore said: “Well, you know, the immigration thing is an issue. I wish something could be done to make things safer and let people who are good people come over, you know. And I know that’s a hard issue.”
Candidate and voter spent five minutes talking about the US-Mexico border and how to get things done. O’Rourke is a fierce critic of Trump’s border and immigration policies; Moore agrees with the president that more needs to be done to secure the border. But voices were never raised and both men smiled throughout.
As the candidate prepared to leave, Moore talked about media coverage he had seen of a recent town hall meeting in Amarillo. “When I saw you on TV the other day,” he said, “to be honest with you, I was very impressed with you. As soon as I saw you and heard you speak on TV, I thought, ‘Man, that guy’s a sharp guy.’”
Moore and O’Rourke shook hands and parted. No commitment for a vote was asked for or given. The candidate spent another 30 minutes in Mentone, talking with the owners of a food truck and convenience store who are doing pretty good business serving the men who work in the energy fields. Then O’Rourke drove off, headed for a rare weekend with his wife Amy and their three children.
Unanimously, political analysts say the 45-year-old is a long-shot to reach the Senate. Cruz is a conservative leader who finished second to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential primary. Texas hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988, when O’Rourke was in high school. The party hasn’t won a statewide race since 1994.
Some recent polls have given O’Rourke hope, showing Cruz with a single-digit lead in a state where Republicans have grown accustomed to wins of 15 points or more. However, a Quinnipiac Poll released on Wednesday showed Cruz 11 points ahead.
In Mentone, O’Rourke got no answer at his first stop. But Stan Moore, a genial 70-year-old, invited O’Rourke inside a modest home he shares with his wife Ray, a Loving county native. “Well, I want to say something first,” Moore said with a smile. “I’m a Republican.”
“That’s OK, there’s no obligation to vote for us,” said O’Rourke, a congressman from El Paso. What followed was an idealized – and nearly extinct – version of American politics. Candidate and voter had a respectful conversation about issues both global and hyper-local.
Moore explained his family political history. It was a story recognizable to many Texans and it helped explain why O’Rourke is fighting an uphill battle: “My parents grew up Democrats. They loved [Franklin] Roosevelt, you know. I was a Democrat until in my early 30s, and I just began to feel like what I wanted to do was more toward the Republican side.”
They discussed the energy boom, which has swelled Loving county’s population from 82 in the 2010 census to an estimated 139 in 2017. (The county covers 677 sq miles, slightly larger than London.) When O’Rourke asked about national issues that concern him, Moore said: “Well, you know, the immigration thing is an issue. I wish something could be done to make things safer and let people who are good people come over, you know. And I know that’s a hard issue.”
Candidate and voter spent five minutes talking about the US-Mexico border and how to get things done. O’Rourke is a fierce critic of Trump’s border and immigration policies; Moore agrees with the president that more needs to be done to secure the border. But voices were never raised and both men smiled throughout.
As the candidate prepared to leave, Moore talked about media coverage he had seen of a recent town hall meeting in Amarillo. “When I saw you on TV the other day,” he said, “to be honest with you, I was very impressed with you. As soon as I saw you and heard you speak on TV, I thought, ‘Man, that guy’s a sharp guy.’”
Moore and O’Rourke shook hands and parted. No commitment for a vote was asked for or given. The candidate spent another 30 minutes in Mentone, talking with the owners of a food truck and convenience store who are doing pretty good business serving the men who work in the energy fields. Then O’Rourke drove off, headed for a rare weekend with his wife Amy and their three children.