Democrats optimistic about winning Senate majority despite diminished chances in Texas race
by Naomi Lim, Political Reporter |
| September 24, 2020 06:34 AM
Democrats had big hopes for Texas, but the party's Senate candidate lags behind longtime Republican incumbent John Cornyn six weeks before Election Day.
MJ Hegar, a U.S. Air Force veteran and teacher, has closed the double-digit gap between her and Cornyn. Yet she continues to trail the senator, first elected in 2002, by an average of 8.3 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.
Democrats were optimistic early in the cycle that demographic shifts and a hard-fought presidential race in Texas would help their picks up and down the ballot, particularly after then-Rep. Beto O'Rourke's surprisingly strong Senate bid in 2018. While those factors may still influence House contests on the ticket this fall, they don't seem to be elevating Hegar.
For Republican strategist Derek Ryan, Hegar is struggling given her low name recognition. In comparison, Cornyn was the state's attorney general and a judge. That wasn't all Hegar's doing, Ryan said. Hegar, who unsuccessfully vied for Texas's 31st Congressional District north of Austin in 2018, was delayed in introducing herself to the broader electorate because her primary runoff was pushed to July.
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