‘We see an opening’: Biden makes a play for Texas
The former veep is buying TV ads in a state that
hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential nominee in 44 years.
By NATASHA
KORECKI and MARC CAPUTO
07/14/2020
08:08 PM EDT
Seizing on
a spike in Covid-19 cases under a Republican governor and Donald Trump’s
sliding poll numbers, Joe Biden is venturing into once reliably red terrain —
Texas.
The former
vice president’s campaign is going up on air with TV ads in Texas — a state
that hasn’t voted for a Democratic nominee in 44 years — a sign it’s eyeing an
expansion to its electoral map beyond the six battleground states where it is
already spending ad money and building organizing infrastructure.
Without
mentioning Trump or Gov. Greg Abbott by name, Biden, in the Texas-specific
spot, positions himself as a leader who “won’t abandon” voters. In a move that
seems to troll Trump, Biden urges Texans to do simple things like wash their
hands, socially distance and wear masks.
The Biden
campaign wouldn’t disclose the size of the ad buy, saying it was part of a
multi-state expenditure that was in the mid-six figures. In a state as massive
as Texas, Republicans called the buy a ploy for free media and even Democrats
say an ad buy of that size won’t even make a dent.
Still,
Democrats pointed to the symbolic value of the move — a signal that Biden was
actually within striking distance of Trump in the massive state that serves as
the cornerstone of the Republican electoral coalition.
The
RealClearPolitics polling average shows Biden and Trump in a dead heat in
Texas.
“It’s
sending a message,” said Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa. “The
message is that the Biden campaign recognizes that Texas is a state that is
different now, that they see it as a battleground and intend to make a play for
Texas.”
Biden’s
campaign previously told POLITICO it viewed Texas and Georgia as “expansion
targets” beyond the core battleground states. In an interview Tuesday, Biden’s
deputy states director, Molly Ritner, said that while in previous cycles Texas
seemed out of reach for Democrats, the campaign for months has seen the state
as within its purview of places to compete.
“To me,
this is not only an opportunity for the Biden campaign, it’s a chance to go on
the offensive,” Rep. Colin Allred said in an interview. The Dallas-area
congressman said he’s been pushing the Biden campaign to play in Texas, noting
that Democrats desperately need to take control of its state House if they want
to have a seat at the table in drawing congressional maps that will be in
effect for the next decade.
“They hear
me and they’re receptive to it,” Allred said. “They’re trying to figure out
what they’re able to do.”
Texas
Republicans — and even some Democrats — view Biden’s ad as an attention-getting
ruse, rather than a serious effort to compete against Trump in the Lone Star
State.
“It's a
$500,000 head fake to see if the bear responds,” said Dave Carney, a top
adviser to Abbott. “It’s a fundraising tool in my view.”
Trump
campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh made a similar argument.
“This isn’t
a serious buy and is only designed to trick CNN into writing a story and
running the ad for free. These are ads that no one in these states will
actually see,” Murtaugh said. “But we do encourage Biden to spend money in
states like Texas, which President Trump will most assuredly win, because it’s
money he won’t have to defend states like Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico,
and Nevada.”
Democrats,
though, make a similar case; If Trump is forced to defend himself at all in
Texas, that’s less money spent on key battleground states like Wisconsin and
Michigan.
The mere
fact that the media is entertaining the notion that Biden could be competitive
in traditionally red states like Texas and Georgia is a troubling sign for
Trump, Democrats say.
“If the
Biden campaign’s play was not to move polling numbers but to generate earned
media, I got bad news for the incumbent — it worked,” says Texas-based
Democratic strategist Chris Lippincott. “The reason it’s worked is because
Trump’s in trouble in places where he shouldn’t be in trouble. People think
he’s doing a bad job.”
Yet the
prospect of Biden pouring resources into Texas makes some Democrats skittish,
evoking memories of Hillary Clinton’s attempts to snag states like Arizona in
2016 while skipping — and ultimately losing — Wisconsin to Trump.
“That was
the problem with the Clinton campaign, their eyes got big,” says Democratic
strategist Pete Giangreco. “I don’t want to hear about expansion plans or this
other bullshit. Eyes like a laser beam. What they need to focus on is 270
[electoral votes]. It’s not Joe Biden’s job to win the U.S. Senate and state
legislatures.”
‘Here’s
your check’: Trump’s massive payouts to farmers will be hard to pull back
The
campaign pushed back against the notion that an expanded map would mean it is
diverting its focus from core battleground states. They're pushing for as many
paths to 270 electoral votes as possible, Ritner said.
“We see an
opening in Texas based on Trump’s mismanagement of this pandemic and voters in
Texas unfortunately having to live the day to day of what that means for their
lives," Ritner said. “That is the one singular goal -- 270 in
November."
Republicans
remained unconvinced of Democrats’ chances in Texas, however, even in the face
of competitive polls and a coronavirus crisis that has had Abbott backtracking
on his policies.
“Biden is
obligated by his party and the leftist movement to spend money here because
they are dying to tell the Texas story in their narrative that they can turn
this place blue if they just dump enough money here,” said Jessica Colon, a
Houston-based Republican strategist. “What people forget, or if you’ve never
been to Texas, is that there is a whole lot of Texas. And dropping into an
urban area or two does not a Texas make.”
By signing
up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can
unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Jeff Roe,
who advised Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential and reelection campaigns, said,
“Biden is shadow boxing himself. They can do all the head fakes they want, this
race is coming down to three states and everyone knows it.”
Right now,
Roe said, he believes the three real tossup states the election will hinge on
are Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin. He sees Georgia, Arizona and Iowa as
leaning toward Trump and Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota as lean Biden.
Recent public polls show Biden leading in all those states.
One reason
for Biden’s relatively solid standing in Texas is his ability to avoid staking
out public positions that would inflame conservatives, said Carney, the adviser
to Abbott.
For
instance, when Texas Sen. John Cornyn released a recent reelection ad that attacked
one of his opponents, state Sen. Royce West, for being too liberal, the
Republican compared West to progressive Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and
two of Biden’s primary opponents, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth
Warren. Biden wasn’t in the ad.
“Biden
isn’t anywhere near Pelosi-Warren-Beto-AOC-crazy,” Carney said. “Biden is
moving left. But people don’t know that. He’s not out there saying all this
stuff. He’s staying in the basement and sending out policy statements that
signal to the hard left, letting them know, ‘I’m with you.’ But he’s not riling
up folks.”
Carney
credited Biden for making a “well done” ad.
“It’s calm.
And that’s where his base is,” he said.
But in the
end, Carney said, that doesn’t win in a conservative state like Texas. “There’s
not much middle in Texas.”
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário