9 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Ann P's avatar

Hasn’t Beto lost more than once already? Beto is NOT who anyone wants right now. He would go down in flames next to Ken Paxton. You need an ex-Republican center right ex-Marine who runs a truck repair company and has 4 kids under the age of 16. Mr Moderate Normal. Give those Texans someone they can relate to. Beto is not it.

Expand full comment
Linda Malboeuf's avatar

Exactly

Expand full comment
Cynical Pragmatist's avatar

100%! I'm not a Texan, so maybe I'm missing details. However, Beto comes off as a decent guy, but also a typical politician. Dems need a youth movement with brand new people who are smart and come off as a regular person.

They could win in '26 with a bunch of political novices, surrounded by experienced teams who understand nuts/bolts of campaigning and media to guide them. Michael Wood comes off exactly as the kind of guy who would be seen as authentic and relatable. Even in conservative Texas, there are several large metro areas and a lot of new people have moved to the state in the past few years. Does crooked-ass Ken Paxton appeal to those people?

Expand full comment
Justin Lee's avatar

I'm not saying he should run. I'm saying if he does run, he'll probably win the primary. Beto will rake in millions of dollars and be on the road doing townhalls for 18 months straight. In 2018, he spoke in all 254 counties at least once. It would be very hard for someone like Michael to compete against that.

Expand full comment
Ann P's avatar

You could be right about it being hard for Michael to compete against Beto, but Democrats need to wake up and smell the coffee. Beto will not beat Paxton. The kind of Democrats the party keeps running are going to lose against any MAGA candidate in any red state. Progressives are a LOST CAUSE. Did you see the NYT story today with all the details of this country’s giant move to the right? Almost 2/3 of the states, more than the entire eastern half of the country is now RED, and getting redder every day. If the Democrats don’t change course asap, we’re doomed.

Gift link:

“The Democrats’ problems run deep, nearly everywhere.”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/25/us/politics/trump-politics-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.J08.ZZoQ.wLWWi9ARJPNH&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Expand full comment
Justin Lee's avatar

We want to win. But it's a huge state with multiple media markets, so running here is super expensive and a full-time job. If Michael can do it, he should do it. But it would be an enormous sacrifice for him and his family.

Expand full comment
Ann P's avatar

Be that as it may, the Democrats need new candidates with a new message. The same old same old will lose no matter how much money you spend, how many counties you visit, or how many months you spend campaigning. Beto will lose. And I don’t want Ken Paxton in the Senate.

Expand full comment
meryl selig's avatar

Ann: you hit all the right points

Expand full comment
Justin Lee's avatar

I don't either. But before you write off Beto for good, check out his Commencement speech from two days ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ-PuYhy0NQ

Expand full comment