Two of Texas’ biggest Democratic stars will take the debate stage Thursday in their home state but they’ll be far from the center of attention
It’s a bit of a muted homecoming for the state’s prized Democratic prospects, both of whom entered the primary accompanied by high expectations but have since failed to build momentum.
Both find themselves in essentially the same position in the debate: high enough in polling and fundraising to qualify for the debates,“I thought either or both of them could gain traction nationally, and I certainly thought that traction that they gained nationally would have put them in position to take the best advantage of a homecoming debate,” said Chris Lippincott, an Austin-based consultant who ran a super PAC opposing Cruz in the Senate race.
“I think both the Texans are at least potentially in a pretty good position to be able to capitalize on whatever opportunities may come their way on Thursday night because [the debate] is in Texas and there’s some built-in enthusiasm for the hometown team and because both of these guys are pretty quick thinkers on their feet,” said Harold Cook, a Democratic consultant in Texas. “They at least have the capacity to jump into a void if one appears.
released Tuesday, with Biden leading with 20 percent support to O’Rourke’s 19 percent. Sen. Bernie Sanders is third with 13 percent support, and Castro and Sen. Elizabethreleased Wednesday showed Biden as the clear front-runner in Texas with support from 26 percent of potential Democratic primary voters, followed by Warren with 18 percent, O’Rourke with 14 percent, and Sanders with 12 percent. Castro finished near the bottom with 3 percent.
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