Three first-time Democratic candidates for statewide office met to discuss the challenges facing their campaigns ahead of a competitive midterm election at an event hosted by the Texas Tribune on Friday.
During the panel, “Can a Democrat Win in Texas?” candidates state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, and state Rep. Jon Rosenthal and Rep. Vikki Goodwin answered questions on what they think is needed for a Democrat to win statewide office for the first time since 1994.
Eckhardt, the state senator who represents UT and Democratic nominee for Texas Comptroller, argued that Texas voters, even non-Democrats, are fed up with the concentration of power by elected Republicans in the state. According to an August UT Texas Politics Project poll, she trails her opponent, incumbent Comptroller Don Huffines, by six percent of the vote. The comptroller leads the office that manages the state’s finances.
“While the elected officials are hugging it out so that they can hold on to power, the rest of Texans are saying, ‘Holding on to power? You have forgotten what your job is,’” Eckhardt said. “And they’re sick of it. And that’s why we are in a realignment election now.”
Eckhardt said she rejected the idea that Democrats will have to moderate their messaging to win in Texas because of what she perceives as a growing distaste for Republican politicians among the electorate.
“There are no reasonable candidates on the Republican side anymore, and there’s nothing but reasonable candidates on the Democrat side,” Eckhardt said. “I don’t think we need to modulate. We’re the reasonable choice in this environment.”
Goodwin, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, said the amount of travel for their respective races makes coordinating events with other candidates difficult. Goodwin trails her opponent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, by seven percent of the vote, according to the Texas Politics Project poll.
“The statewide candidates are dividing and conquering,” Goodwin said. “We are trying to get out in front of a lot of rural places too, where they feel like ‘Democrats don’t come out and talk to us.’”
Rosenthal, who faces Bo French in the race for Texas railroad commissioner, said that while he believes Democrats currently have momentum, they will have to stay focused in the coming weeks to have a chance of winning. The Texas Railroad Commission enforces the state’s oil and gas policy.
“It’s still an uphill climb, and there is some stuff that still has to happen,” Rosenthal said. “A lot of people have to turn out to vote. So while I’m certainly enthusiastic and I’m hopeful, … let’s reserve optimism for game day.”
