Beto O’Rourke assembled an A+ debate performance against Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday evening, turning Texas’ high-voltage issues of immigration, gun rights and energy reliability into a referendum on the incumbent during the hour affair.
At the same time, O’Rourke didn’t score a knockout or game-changing moment that could harm Abbott’s high single-digit lead in the race for Texas governor.
What O’Rourke did do is put forward a substantive case for a different governing vision in still-red Texas. And he even cleverly deployed an argument on gun laws that could flare up in a future Republican presidential primary debate for Abbott.
The Rant: A solemn Beto's substance offensive on Greg Abbott