The Houston Chronicle’s editorial board called upon former El Paso U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke to drop his bid for the White House and instead transition his campaign into joining the crowded field of Democrats hoping to take on Sen. John Cornyn in 2020.
In an editorial titled, “Beto, come home. Texas needs you,” the editorial board called on O’Rourke to join the 2020 U.S. Senate race in Texas. The newspaper’s editorial comes as some Democrats have began asking O’Rourke to reconsider his 2020 presidential aspirations after a pair of lackluster debate performances. Many Democrats who are calling on O’Rourke to move to the Senate race against Cornyn believe the El Paso native could possibly replicate the results of his 2018 Senate bid, in which he came within three points of beating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
“So Beto, if you’re listening: Come home,” the editorial reads. “Drop out of the race for president and come back to Texas to run for senator. The chances of winning the race you’re in now are vanishingly small. And Texas needs you.”
While the calls have grown for O’Rourke to abandon his 2020 bid, his campaign says he remains committed to his campaign for president. In a statement to CNN, O’Rourke campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon echoed that sentiment, saying O’Rourke plans to stay in the presidential race.
“Now more than ever, this country needs the honest leadership Beto continues to demonstrate — and that is why he [is] running for president.”
If O’Rourke was to join the Senate race, he would join an already crowded field that includes Royce West, MJ Hegar, Adrian Ocegueda, Michael Cooper, Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, Chris Bell, and Sema Hernandez.
O’Rourke/Photo by Congressional Office