Poll: If Beto loses Senate race- does he enter the Pres Primary?

[SCNCmod]

Beto is clearly the Democrat with the most Buzz & the biggest fundraising ability in the Country right now.  So if he loses the Senate election... does he turn that popularity and financial warchest towards the Presidential race?  

(also- in addition to his fund-raising ability- his net worth is around $10 Million... so its not like he urgently needs to get back to the private sector to make money).  And his prospects for public office in Texas would be limited to waiting for 2 years to run for his old house seat... which is unlikely appealing to him at this point.

Ordinarily such a jump would seem rather crazy- but considering he has far more political experience than Trump did... maybe not so crazy.  And even if he didn't get the nomination (which I actually think he would have a good shot at)- a number 2 finish would set him up as a VP favorite).

(EDIT...ADD-ON..QUESTION 2) If you were Beto, would you enter the 2020 Presidential Primary if you lost the Senate race?

[BlueSwan]

Beto is clearly the Democrat with the most Buzz & the biggest fundraising ability in the Country right now.  So if he loses the Senate election... does he turn that popularity and financial warchest towards the Presidential race? 

(also- in addition to his fund-raising ability- his net worth is around $10 Million... so its not like he urgently needs to get back to the private sector to make money).  And his prospects for public office in Texas would be limited to waiting for 2 years to run for his old house seat... which is unlikely appealing to him at this point.

Ordinarily such a jump would seem rather crazy- but considering he has far more political experience than Trump did... maybe not so crazy.  And even if he didn't get the nomination (which I actually think he would have a good shot at)- a number 2 finish would set him up as a VP favorite).

Doubt it. A loss in a senate race isn't really a great platform to run on. "Oh, the guy who ran up record contributions and STILL lost...".

[SCNCmod]

Beto is clearly the Democrat with the most Buzz & the biggest fundraising ability in the Country right now.  So if he loses the Senate election... does he turn that popularity and financial warchest towards the Presidential race? 

(also- in addition to his fund-raising ability- his net worth is around $10 Million... so its not like he urgently needs to get back to the private sector to make money).  And his prospects for public office in Texas would be limited to waiting for 2 years to run for his old house seat... which is unlikely appealing to him at this point.

Ordinarily such a jump would seem rather crazy- but considering he has far more political experience than Trump did... maybe not so crazy.  And even if he didn't get the nomination (which I actually think he would have a good shot at)- a number 2 finish would set him up as a VP favorite).

Doubt it. A loss in a senate race isn't really a great platform to run on. "Oh, the guy who ran up record contributions and STILL lost...".

But if he makes the race closer than anyone even thought possible & he's the one candidate in 2018 with the biggest national buzz & is getting presidential level financial contributions... Then the fact that a Progressive Dem barely lost in a solid Red state- would not be looked at as disqualifying.

[Spiffy]

Might make for a good VP candidate if Sherrod Brown is unavailable.

[BlueSwan]

Beto is clearly the Democrat with the most Buzz & the biggest fundraising ability in the Country right now.  So if he loses the Senate election... does he turn that popularity and financial warchest towards the Presidential race? 

(also- in addition to his fund-raising ability- his net worth is around $10 Million... so its not like he urgently needs to get back to the private sector to make money).  And his prospects for public office in Texas would be limited to waiting for 2 years to run for his old house seat... which is unlikely appealing to him at this point.

Ordinarily such a jump would seem rather crazy- but considering he has far more political experience than Trump did... maybe not so crazy.  And even if he didn't get the nomination (which I actually think he would have a good shot at)- a number 2 finish would set him up as a VP favorite).

Doubt it. A loss in a senate race isn't really a great platform to run on. "Oh, the guy who ran up record contributions and STILL lost...".

But if he makes the race closer than anyone even thought possible & he's the one candidate in 2018 with the biggest national buzz & is getting presidential level financial contributions... Then the fact that a Progressive Dem barely lost in a solid Red state- would not be looked at as disqualifying.

But Trump only won Texas by 9 points and Dems are about 8 points ahead in generic polling, so even a super close loss wouldn't necessarily be THAT impressive.

[Jburns]

It's entirely possible

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Beto is clearly the Democrat with the most Buzz & the biggest fundraising ability in the Country right now.  So if he loses the Senate election... does he turn that popularity and financial warchest towards the Presidential race? 

(also- in addition to his fund-raising ability- his net worth is around $10 Million... so its not like he urgently needs to get back to the private sector to make money).  And his prospects for public office in Texas would be limited to waiting for 2 years to run for his old house seat... which is unlikely appealing to him at this point.

Ordinarily such a jump would seem rather crazy- but considering he has far more political experience than Trump did... maybe not so crazy.  And even if he didn't get the nomination (which I actually think he would have a good shot at)- a number 2 finish would set him up as a VP favorite).

Doubt it. A loss in a senate race isn't really a great platform to run on. "Oh, the guy who ran up record contributions and STILL lost...".

Someone begs to differ.

[Progressive Pessimist]

No. Poor Beto will be relegated to obscurity.

[RI]

Him and Kander, right guys?

[SCNCmod]

Him and Kander, right guys?

I have never once understood the Kander hype... noone would be able to find 1 post of mine that said anything remotely upbeat about Kander.. In fact he usually pops up in my comments to "most overrated" threads. (The only thing Kander had... is the 1 thing Beto lacks... a good TV Ad!)

Beto is clearly in a different category than Kander, both in political talent, fundraising ability, and political buzz.  

[SCNCmod]

Beto would sort of fit the trend of Trudeau & Macron (both of them were relatively newcomers ... didn't have long big-time resumes of publicly elected positions)...  and they've turned out to be 2 of the more influential world leaders currently.

[Grassroots]

Nah, he should wait for a dem win in 2020 and get a cabinet appointment.

[SCNCmod]

Nah, he should wait for a dem win in 2020 and get a cabinet appointment.

Cabinet Appointment doesn't seem to get texans very far... ie Castro.

[yakutia]

*When he loses the senate election

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Nah, he should wait for a dem win in 2020 and get a cabinet appointment.

Cabinet Appointment doesn't seem to get texans very far... ie Castro.

HHS isn’t a big deal relatively speaking and if I recall, mayor of San Antonio is mostly a figurehead position. Joaquin is more of a heavyweight than Julian, I think.

John Delaney is a three term representative. I think Beto would have a shot. He has name recognition that Delaney doesn’t have. Assuming Beto loses in 2018, I think it would be silly for him not to try for 2020.

[Senator Incitatus]

Sure, he can pretend he's the Democratic Lincoln.

[Pandaguineapig]

I doubt it, he'll probably go the Wendy Davis route and cash in on media deals, if he wants to run for office again he may run for his old seat or carpetbag to another state for a Senate run

[Mister Mets]

Having money left over from a losing Senate campaign is not a great look. It raises the question of whether he would have won if he spent everything, even if the answer is probably not.

[NewYorkExpress]

No, but he could and should use it run against Cornyn in 2020.

[SCNCmod]

Beto is a good example of being able to deliver liberal policy points... but in a moderate tone that doesn't immediately turn off moderate Republicans and independents. (video clip from last night's Texas debate)
https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1052374954514223105

[foxh8er]

I think he should do it. The problem is he's got a Y chromosome.

He would be a fantastic VP candidate though.

[TomC]

I think he should. “He lost the senate race” is an argument, not a disqualifier. He’s got a charisma that would excite people and bring young voters out. He’s got a way of garnering media attention that would put him in top tier. He generally defies being pegged as in one Dem wing or the other better than Sanders or Warren, he comes across as way more populist than Harris or Booker. I think I’d prefer him over 3 of them, still listening to Harris.

What’s the worst that could happen? I’d think losing the Dem Primary would be less political-career ending than losing a second Senate bid (against Cornyn).

[beaver2.0]

No.  And I don't think he'll win either.  2020 is always an opportunity.

[TomC]

I’ll add, if Beto can peel off younger voters from the Sanders “coalition” and keep him from getting the nomination or enough delegates to call shots over the ticket/convention, it would be worth it. Still pissed we’re giving so much attention to a man who can’t be bothered to call himself a Democrat except when it benefits him personally.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

What’s the worst that could happen? I’d think losing the Dem Primary would be less political-career ending than losing a second Senate bid (against Cornyn).

Yeah, losing against Cornyn would look bad. The environment might be more favorable, but Cornyn isn’t hated like Lyin’ Ted is.