Joaquin Castro Sitting Out 2018 Senate Race
Hasn’t ruled out a future run
San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro announced Monday he will not challenge Sen. Cruz in the upcoming Senate race.
Castro has been pushing off his public announcement since February. As of last week, he was reportedly undecided.
The Washington Post reported Monday:
Castro, who represents San Antonio in Congress, made his decision over the weekend and began informing close supporters and donors on Sunday, according to people familiar with his decision. The announcement caps several months of deliberations by the third-term lawmaker, whose twin brother, Julián Castro, is the former secretary of housing and urban development and is mulling a possible 2020 presidential campaign.
While Joaquin Castro says he is not considering a Senate run now, he isn’t entirely ruling out such a campaign down the road. For now, Castro is preparing to run for reelection to his House seat but realizes that political developments could change his decision, said an aide familiar with the congressman’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly about political strategy.
Castro said he won’t rule out a senate run in the future.
Beto O’Rourke, Democratic Congressman from El Paso announced his candidacy at the end of March. O’Rourke is not a traditional Democrat. He’s promised to limit his service in the upper chamber to two terms if elected.
Castro’s decision to sit out the 2018 Senate race is a wise one. Texas-wide elections are costly and traversing the huge state tiresome.
The WaPo continued:
By staying out of the race — at least for now — Castro avoids a potentially costly primary fight with O’Rourke, a representative from El Paso who jumped into the Senate race in March. Whichever Democrat emerges as the party nominee next year faces daunting political history: Not since Bob Bullock was reelected lieutenant governor in 1994 has a Democrat won statewide office in Texas.
Adding to the Democratic Party’s challenge, statewide campaigns in Texas require a presence in 20 media markets, including three of the most expensive in the country -— meaning that a competitive race against Cruz would be a multimillion dollar affair at a time when Democrats will be defending 25 seats across the country.
“I wouldn’t count on any support from the DSCC, because they’ve got their hands full with trying to reelect 25 Democrats,” Castro said at a recent Washington Post Live event when asked about a possible Senate run, referring to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Castro predicted that a Senate race against Cruz would cost “tens of millions of dollars,” before adding later: “I think I could raise it, and Ted Cruz would help me raise it.”
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Comments
Castro?
Not. A. Chance.
San Antonio is an odd place, but so are several Texas cities. Since the days of Maury Maverick, there has been a tradition of Progressive pols doing well in that city.
Democrat Castro Won’t Challenge Ted Cruz In ’18
Hmmm……..
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/05/02/texas-democratic-rep-castro-wont-challenge-sen-ted-cruz-in-18/
Can I say “told you so”?
It’s really hilarious that out of state democrats keep trying to make a big deal out of this guy – inside Texas, this guy is an absolute NOBODY. Yeah, he’s a congressman – and he makes Jar Jar Binks look like a Serious Legislator by comparison.
Beto O’Rourke is a nobody too, of course, the designated sacrificial lamb slated to go up against Cruz.
Abbot and Cruz final election numbers – both will be reelected, 65/35, give or take 5 points either way.
Dems can afford to sacrifice O’Roarke; there won’t be a Rep challenger for his seat (you’ve got to surpass 75,000 votes to get past the straight ticket barrier in that race).
On the other hand, parts of San Antonio have made some odd zig zags in recent years – probably not enough to endanger a solid Dem seat, but enough that a R challenger would be emboldened to make a serious run at a race without an incumbent. And it was pointed out – Texas Dem Candidates shouldn’t expect any cash available from the DNCC.
Poor dumb Beto probably thinks Castro is scared of him or something….. I’m thinking of ponying up a bit to the Cruz campaign just to get on their mailing list. A debate between Cruz and O’Roarke would be a glorious verbal bloodbath to behold.
Is Castro going to wait and run against the other democrat. No wait, Cornyn isn’t a democrat. An honest mistake.
LOL! Just as a matter of trivia, I can’t find where a sitting US Senator from Texas has *ever* lost a re-election bid in the general election. A couple have lost a primary to a challenger from their own party; that’s how Lloyd Bentsen got in.
From reconstruction all the way to 1980 or so (a little over 100 years) the Democrat Primary was the effective general election for all Texas offices. For an unusual period from about 1980 – 1996, the parties were actually competitive with each other. From 1996 on, the Republican Primary is now the effective general election for all statewide offices here, and will probably be so for several more decades. Just they way Texas rolls, I guess.
Seems like an unusually rational and reasonable decision for a Democrat, Texan or not.