"The negative coattails of Donald Trump" could bring down John Cornyn, he says. "There's real political justice in what's going to happen."
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Beto O’Rourke is on a mission to turn Texas blue this year, and he spoke with me on my SiriusXM show about the work he and his group, Powered by People are doing to make that happen at every level of government. Some in the political class have said it’s a stretch — that Texas will eventually turn blue but might not do so this year — but then again, those same people didn’t think O’Rourke’s surge in 2018 was probable either.
The former Texas Democratic congressman came within three points of beating the odious Senator Ted Cruz in 2018, and created a movement across Texas, bringing along races down ballot that were part of the blue wave — in the U.S. House and in the Texas Legislature — and laying the groundwork for 2020.
When O’Rourke’s bid for the presidency didn’t work out, he declined another Senate run, challenging John Cornyn, and committed himself to grassroots organizing in his state.
Now, Joe Biden is running even with Donald Trump in several polls, as Biden staffs up in the state. More GOP-controlled House seats across Texas are endangered, as are GOP state legislators. And Air Force veteran and educator M.J. Hegar has a shot at taking down Cornyn, coming within single digits in polls. Even O’Rourke to me he was surprised at how quickly Cornyn has seen his approval tank and is facing a strong challenge.
So, anything can happen. But it’s not going to happen unless people work hard.
O’Rourke spoke with me about the horrendous actions of Donald Trump and the revelations in the Woodward book, as well as about how much Cornyn is tied to Trump. He discussed the ways his group is working at all levels and how people can help out in turning Texas blue.
I posted the full interview here, as so many listeners, and so many followers on Twitter who heard some of the clips, asked me to post it all. So take a listen. And of course let me know your thoughts.
Beto O'Rourke on turning Texas blue in 2020