Time for the week’s political highlights with Mike Yawn, professor of political science at Sam Houston State University.
Sen. John Cornyn now has a second Democratic opponent, former Congressman and Texas gubernatorial candidate, Chris Bell. Yawn says Bell joins the other Democratic candidate, MJ Hegar, who ran unsuccessfully for a Central Texas congressional seat in 2018.
Friday, some of the major Democratic presidential candidates will speak at an education forum in Houston. Texans Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro will be there, along with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Warren will also speak at the University of Houston, where she earned a degree.
Yawn chalks up the many Houston visits by presidential candidates to the “Beto effect.” Texas has a large number of electoral votes, and Democrats are also aware of O’Rourke’s strong showing in his race against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.
“That’s good for Texas, and ultimately good for democracy,” Yawn says.
Yawn says attention paid to Texas by presidential candidates also helps down-ballot Democratic candidates in the state running in 2020.
Written by Shelly Brisbin.
