Democrat Beto O’Rourke has already said he’s not running for the U.S. Senate in 2020.
Cornyn, nonetheless, is evoking O’Rourke’s name to energize Republicans into giving money, perhaps to build up his campaign war chest for any other Democrat who may announce a bid against him. And his messaging is drenched in fear:
“As speculation grows around Beto O’Rourke’s political future, I want to set one thing straight: ‘Beto’s Texas’ would be unsafe, it’d be unsuccessful, and it’d be downright dangerous. So, to make sure his extreme liberal plans never see the light of day in Texas, we set up the STOP BETO FUND. It’s critical that you do what you can, as soon as possible, to stop him. We can’t waste any time.”
From fundraising email sent by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)