AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O’Rourke probably have bright political futures, perhaps even plausible White House aspirations, regardless of which one wins their high-profile Texas Senate race.
- O'Rourke and Cruz for 2020 presidetal election
- Cruz with lead in senator race
- O'Rourke said no on presidental race
Around Labor Day, when polls showed onetime punk rocker O’Rourke closing in on flipping a Senate seat in the country’s largest Republican-dominated state, speculation abounded that O’Rourke could be a 2020 presidential hopeful.
Political observers have suggested an upset, or even a close loss, could catapult O’Rourke to national prominence.
O’Rourke shrugged off such talk and, as it turned out, he probably peaked then. Polls now show Cruz with a consistent, if modest, lead.
But that doesn’t diminish O’Rourke’s rise from virtual unknown outside his remote hometown of El Paso to one of this election’s most talked-about national figures. He shattered Senate race fundraising records with donations from supporters across the country, fueling optimism about his potential staying power outside Texas.
“Talent and charisma translate,” said Texas Democratic strategist Matt Angle.
He also said the idea that politicians have to wait their turn to move up the ranks died with President Donald Trump’s emergence, meaning O’Rourke’s rise can resonate beyond this race.
“The notion of waiting in line is going away,” Angle said. “There’s an understanding that, in both parties, there is a vacuum at the top for somebody to really step into a leadership role.”
Cruz, meanwhile, finished second in the 2016 Republican presidential primary and has made no secret about wanting to try again post-Trump. He could do that from the Senate, but since he has built his entire career around presidential aspirations, even a defeat wouldn’t necessarily derail those.
“If you lose with your honor intact, able to build a national donor file and email list, get millions of dollars in earned media, then you become a bit of a commodity,” said Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser, who ran Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s successful 2014 re-election campaign. “People often pay you to speak. You write a book. You go on a tour. You start a PAC. You support candidates and causes, and it actually elevates your profile.”
Cruz himself began preparing for his 2016 presidential run as soon as he got to the Senate and has generally been non-committal when asked if he’ll finish his full term should he win on Election Day. O’Rourke says he’ll stay all six years and, as for running for president, “It’s a definitive no.”
“If I don’t win,” he’s said “we’re back in El Paso.”
But he wouldn’t be the first to change his mind, if it comes to that.
Information taken from AP News/Will Weissert