Why do Democrats lose races that they could win? Why has no Democrat won a statewide race in Texas since 1994?
Maybe the GOP’s brand messaging has something to do with it. It’s simple and straightforward, and this matters a great deal. Let’s observe just how simple it is for incumbent Congressman Roger Williams to make his case.
A mom who puts her hand on her heart as she talks about her kids’ safety and how Roger Williams is on the side of law and order. That’s the kind of raw emotional appeal that works wonders.
Which side would you rather be on, right now: Defund the Police or Stand Up for the Police?
One side is a clear loser from a rhetorical point of view. “Defund the Police” sounds like “No Police.” That’s not what liberals mean, but it’s what everyone else hears.
Family Values, The Rerun
Chips a-Roy is our representative in Congress. In my estimation, he’s one of the worst legislators in D.C. today. However, when it comes to conveying his brand values, he is a prototypical Republican, and that’s a problem for his opponent, Wendy Davis.
It takes nerve or the willingness to manipulate, whichever came first, to talk about your “birthright as a Texan,” when you’re born in Maryland, raised in Virginia, and the textbook definition of an Inside-the-Beltway player. But facts don’t settle the equation here—this kind of power play has cemented the GOP’s hold on Texas and the nation.
Rely on Big John
Senator John Cornyn is a big part of the problem in DC today, along with his buddy Moscow Mitch. But we see none of that here. In his campaign commercials, Big John is a good guy. He wears a mask, cares about kids, and about the well being of women.
Again, we have law and order at the top of the GOP’s agenda. Big John’s “Untested” commercial doesn’t name the culprit, but it implies that the enemy of women’s rights and women’s health is bureaucracy and mismanagement in the hands of big-city Democrats.
Power Does Not Concede, It Consolidates
The most rabid Trumpians despise liberals. What’s not as obvious is the millions of people who dislike Trump, but not enough to vote for a Democrat. It’s the old “hold your nose” trick, and Americans have been executing this compromise for generations.
Rebecca Deen, an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington, said that turning the state blue has long been an unfulfilled promise. “Let me put it this way: I will be very surprised if Sen. Cornyn loses,” Deen said. “I would be surprised, but not dumbstruck if the president loses Texas.”
Early voting in Texas begins on October 13, 2020.
One of the big structural changes to the ballot in Texas this year is no straight-party voting. According to the Texas Tribune:
Most states don’t allow for one-punch voting, but its elimination in Texas met intense opposition from Democrats who feared the change would be most felt among voters of color and lead to voter drop-off, particularly in blue urban counties that have the longest ballots in the state. Texas Republican lawmakers championed a change to the law during the 2017 legislative session, arguing it would compel voters to make more-informed decisions because they would have to make a decision on every race on a ballot.
With demographics stacked against them, the GOP has done and will continue to do everything in its power to hold on. Beto O’Rourke is leading a charge to take the State House away from them. Will Beto and his posse prevail in 2020? The odds continue to be stacked against it.
Much like a casino, “the house” holds almost all the cards.
PREVIOUSLY ON ADPULP.COM: Cornyn The Divider Has A Mountain of Cash, But No Clue and The Rising Stars of Texas: Escobar, Oliver, Olson, Hegar, Valenzuela, Kulkarni & Partners and Was Beto O’Rourke Hurt By Ted Cruz’s Attack Ads?
