Beto O'Rourke faces a constant uphill battle against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas. I was facing For one thing, O'Rourke is still a Democrat in Texas at a time when the state still votes Republican, but political leanings are changing. The blame came in 2019 when, before announcing his gubernatorial run, he said, "Oh yes, I'll take your AR-15, AK-47." O'Rourke made that statement after a shooting at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 of him. Considering O'Rourke is from El Paso, he was understandably upset. But that rhetoric is political cyanide in gun-loving Texas.
Nonetheless, O'Rourke has gone viral in the past 24 hours after showing a video clip of him laughing and blaming someone for his remarks about assault rifles. O'Rourke said, "It might be funny to your mother, but it's not funny to me."
His words may have felt like catharsis for many who were already in the crowd with him, as well as for out-of-state liberals, but it was not until he struck Abbott.
According to a Texas Politics Project poll last month, 61% of Texans require background checks on all gun purchases. Strongly support. Cent supports raising the minimum age at which he can buy a firearm to 21.
His one issue voter against gun control, many of whom are in Texas, found this an exciting need for them to clarify. might be viewed as a powerful force. Similarly, only 44% of his independent voters support such restrictions. Neither can he risk alienating those voters, as there aren't enough Democrats to overcome the Republican vote. has a history of making statements that resonate with college-educated, urban-dwelling white voters who retweet his interactions. But as Democratic data his scientist David Shorhighlighted, the same rhetoric tends to alienate working-class voters, including those of color .
In 2018, O'Rourke made headlines when he defended professional athletes for kneeling during the national anthem, while his friend Tim Alberta was at the time} The person who asked the question worked under Cruise strategist Jeff Law. In that moment, even after O'Rourke became the darling of coastal liberals, Cruise's margins actually improved.
Finally, the incredibly hardworking O'Rourke deserves credit for campaigning in Mineral Wells, where the exchange took place.
For context, Mineral Wells is located in Palo He Pinto and Parker counties. In both counties, 81.5% of people voted for Donald Trump. The fact that O'Rourke is willing to go out there and engage with voters, even if it's painful, is a testament to both his character and his work ethic. We've dismissed too many working-class and rural counties as lost causes. But even if O'Rourke loses both counties, if he influences Abbott's margin enough, he may lay the groundwork for future Democrats. Some might argue that the fact that he received it indicates that there are Texans who like his message. But most of the people in the audience were likely already converted, save for one jerk who laughed when he explained children were being killed.
O'Rourke, and any Democrat, already believes their gun policy is not too radical and offers a viable alternative to the dominance dominated by the gun control lobby. You have to convince unconverted people that you are going along. Republican Party of Texas. Otherwise, Democrats could spew out more profanity after all the votes were tallied.
