Texas Democratic party announces new 'Beat Cruz War Room'

TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The Texas Democratic Party announced Thursday morning it's launching a new effort to help unseat two-term Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. 

It's called "Beat Cruz War Room," and the party said it will centralize opposition research and mass mobilization against Cruz, who's seeking a third term in 2024. 

Gilberto Hinojosa, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party said, "No matter who our nominee ends up being, with the help of the Beat Cruz War Room, we're going to send Ted Cruz packing—back to his preferred Cancun resort, his plush podcast studio, campaigning for other far-right extremists in random states, or wherever the hell else he currently goes from 9 to 5 when he's supposed to be working for us." 

On Monday, the Democratic primary in this race expanded when State Senator Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, announced his campaign. 

North Texas Congressman Colin Allred entered the race in May and has since amassed a campaign war chest of $8.6 million. 

The Democratic Party says its Beat Cruz War Room will directly coordinate opposition research with the party's eventual nominee.
Matthew Wilson is a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. He said running statewide has been a challenge for Democrats, who haven't won a statewide office in nearly 30 years. 

"I think it's going to be a really uphill battle for whichever Democrat captures the nomination. Texas still remains a state that leans Republican. Ted Cruz will have all the advantages of incumbency," Wilson said. "Democrats, nationally, have a whole slew of Senate races where they have to be on defense, which limits their ability to really invest in playing offense in a state like Texas. So, there are a lot of advantages that Cruz will bring into his election. That said, for an incumbent, Cruz is not an especially popular politician. He tends to be somewhat polarizing and divisive. So, whoever the Democratic nominee is, will have at least a puncher's chance."

In 2018, then Democratic nominee Beto O'Rourke, a Congressman from El Paso, came very close to defeating Cruz. Wilson said 2018 was a good year for Democrats because it was a midterm election for then President Donald Trump. But he said 2024 is not like 2018.