‘Pretty damn bullish’: Democrats have high hopes for Paxton-Talarico showdown

Texas Democrats have wandered in the wilderness for decades. They hope a seminarian-turned-politician will finally lead them out. Now that Republicans have nominated Attorney General Ken Paxton for U.S.

Senate, Democrats see November as their best opportunity this century to flip Texas blue. They have a favorable political environment, aided by nationwide dissatisfaction with the economy and President Donald Trump’s leadership. They see the Texas GOP fractured after a messy Senate primary that took out Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the party’s senior statesmen, and a potentially fatally flawed candidate in Paxton with his significant personal baggage . They think their nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, is the ideal candidate to break through. “Democrats have been in the desert for three decades,” said Mark McKinnon, a longtime GOP strategist and adviser to former President George W. “Talarico could be Moses.” Cliff Walker, a Texas Democratic strategist and principal at Seeker Strategies, echoed the sentiment: “Folks are pretty damn bullish. I think this is the year.” The pieces are all aligning, Democratic strategists, lawmakers and activists argue: Talarico is a charismatic candidate who has fundraising prowess and boasts a lead in early head-to-head polling . Still, it’s a target that has long eluded Democrats in one of America’s most conservative, and costliest, battlegrounds. In election cycle after cycle, they’ve raised their hopes and poured money into trying to flip a statewide seat blue. Try as they might, Texas Democrats haven’t elected one of their own to the Senate since 1988.

Key points

• Senate, Democrats see November as their best opportunity this century to flip Texas blue.
• They have a favorable political environment, aided by nationwide dissatisfaction with the economy and President Donald Trump’s leadership.
• They see the Texas GOP fractured after a messy Senate primary that took out Sen.
• John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the party’s senior statesmen, and a potentially fatally flawed candidate in Paxton with his significant personal baggage .
• They think their nominee, state Rep.