The Dallas Morning News, citing his demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness,” endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke Thursday morning, even though they disagree with some of his more progressive policy positions.
The editorial board wrote that Beto O’Rourke’s “demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness that will allow him to open the door to working with those who hold political views different from his.â€
The paper is not impressed with incumbent and opponent Republican Ted Cruz, writing that he is “a cutting figure in today’s politics… Lincoln, echoing the Gospel of Mark, cautioned us long ago that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And we believe that at this moment, we cannot afford such an approach.”
“In the divisive times in which we live, we believe that tone and leadership are the top issues with which to judge these candidates’ tenures in office. So we’re placing a bet on Beto,†the board wrote.
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“This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O’Rourke’s approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.”
The Dallas Morning News also endorsed Cruz’s Democratic opponent in 2012 Paul Sadler, but supported Mitt Romney for President over Democrat Barack Obama. What makes this such a blow is that it comes on top of the Houston Chronicle defection from Ted Cruz, and focuses on the divisive character issue/ghost of Trump that haunts Republicans.
On October 19th, another major paper went Beto. “After a long history of endorsing Republican candidates, the Houston Chronicle is shifting gears to throw its support behind Rep. Beto O’Rourke.”
The Houston Chronicle wrote, “The West Texas congressman’s command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans make him one of the most impressive candidates this editorial board has encountered in many years.â€
The Chronicle noted that while Beto faced very slim odds, “O’Rourke a 20 percent chance of winning – a “Beto” victory would be good for Texas, not only because of his skills, both personal and political, but also because of the manifest inadequacies of the man he would replace.”
It seems that just as in the Senate itself, papers in Texas just don’t like Ted Cruz. Beto O’Rouke winning Ted Cruz’s Senate seat is a long shot, but he has run an almost perfect campaign, keeping it local in spite of his national popularity, and stayed focused on Texas and its people.
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