You probably heard a lot about the Texas Senate race this past midterm. That’s because it was closer than it ever should have been. While the race was won by incumbent Republican Ted Cruz, his Democrat challenger Beto O’Rourke gained a lot of attention for making it a close race in deep-red Texas. The energy he brought to Texas in 2018 has made him a frontrunner for the Democrats in 2020.
Beto seems like the perfect nominee. He shares the exact hardline liberal views that get young voters excited. In addition, when considering he shares many of the similar views that garnered so much support for Bernie Sanders in 2016, who suffered setbacks due to support from young people under the age of 18, Beto seems like the perfect candidate to step in and receive the support from the now voting-age Sanders supporters.
He is a strong candidate for more reasons than just his ability to energize the youth, he is a rising star who shares much of the same charisma that Obama was so well known for. He has the experience, views, and persona the Democratic party seems to be in dire need of, but Democrats should be weary about putting all their eggs into the Beto basket in 2020.
His far-left views may scare off older Democrats. In the same way Bernie had trouble gaining support from middle-aged and elderly Democrats in 2016, O’Rourke may risk finding himself in the same position in 2020 and when the opposition has the deeply ingrained support and incumbency advantage Donald Trump will have, this could prove disastrous.
The truth is, older generations still are a long way off from accepting socialism in any form. O’Rourke’s far left economic ideology will be used against him by neo-liberals and conservatives alike. This opposition will ultimately cost him crucial votes come election time.
What the Democrats should consider when fielding nominees is prior success in government and how established a candidate’s name is. O’Rourke is an incredible politician but for so much of America he will struggle to keep a seat at the table when mentioned alongside names like Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden.
However, O’Rourke is too valuable to simply go by the wayside. There are several ways he could be used in 2020 and how the Democratic party choses to do so could prove critical to future success.
One way Democrats could gain exposure and familiarize voters with O’Rourke is by including him as a candidate in the primaries. A national campaign at best could help gauge whether or not he has a shot against Trump and at worst would put him in the national spotlight and make him more of a household name. When it comes time to choose their nominee they could elect to go with a more familiar name, but put Beto in a position to work in a high ranking position for now and run again in the future.
Another more creative solution would be putting the party’s support behind an older and more experienced name like Joe Biden, and allowing O’Rourke to run alongside him as his Vice President. This strategy would be fairly unconventional, but given Biden’s mass support it would give Democrats the greatest chance at taking down Trump. Furthermore, Biden’s older age would open up the opportunity for him to step down after his first term and allow O’Rourke to run in his place, hopefully in a less polarized America.
2020 is still a long way off and a lot can and will happen between now and then. In the current climate O’Rourke may not be the best fit, but America could be in a different position come election time. However, as of now two things are certain: this is an election Democrats cannot afford to blunder and Beto O’Rourke will have a significant role in the future of the Democratic party.
Noah Wright is an undecided sophomore studying at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Noah? Tweet him @NoahCampaign.
