MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said on her show Monday that Texas is a “wildcard for Democrats” in the 2020 election.
The liberal lioness ticked through the unusual political dynamic in Texas in 2018, where Democrats came unusually close to winning statewide.
Her guest, Beto O’Rourke, one of the 20+ Democratic candidates running for president, agreed on the newly outsized role of the Lone Star State.
“Texas and its 38 electoral votes have been unlocked,” he said. “They are in contention.”
Maddow asked O’Rourke about the “re-introduction” of his campaign, reported by the Associated Press.
“I can do a better job of talking to a national audience,” O’Rourke acknowledged.
O’Rourke reiterated part of the strategy he employed during his 2018 Senate run, which he lost by 2.6 points: Going to all 254 counties in Texas and bringing everyone into the fold.
Maddow asked the former El Paso congressman about Texas being not a red or blue state but a non-voting state. How do you fix that, she wondered?
O’Rourke said he gained more Democratic votes in Texas history, won independents, and 500,000 Republicans in Texas. His message: speak to all voters.
