(C) Texas Tribune This story was originally published by Texas Tribune and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Blast: David Axelrod’s Charlie Brown rain cloud [1] [] Date: 2024-07 Democratic operatives in Texas seem to have skipped past panic and reverted to their familiar sense of defeatism following last night’s presidential debate. Some Democrats’ knee-jerk reaction to President Joe Biden’s showing was that the party should consider replacing him if they hope to defeat former President Donald Trump in November. A cloud so big rolled over the Democratic Party that it appeared to rain on former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod on the set of CNN’s post-debate panel like a Charlie Brown rain cloud. In Texas, Democrats were under no illusion that Biden could win the state, but they had hope for U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and other Democrats trying to make gains this cycle. Needing good news after spending a pretty penny on debate night ads, Team Allred likely didn’t wake up happy this morning. Today, reporters tried catching Allred as he was leaving the House chamber. He ran down the stairs, ducking their questions about the debate. “I’m still processing it,” Allred said. Republicans so far have hounded Democrats on the issue. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin filed a resolution calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to use her 25th Amendment powers to have the Cabinet install her as acting president. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has spent the day dunking Democrats and Allred on social media. The key for Allred is that, to stand a chance at unseating Cruz, he needs to prove that he’s competitive, and fast. The sooner he shows he’s within striking distance, the sooner the national Democratic apparatus will spend in Texas. The coattails translate further down the ballot as well. As donors start opening their pocketbooks, they’ll start to spend in congressional races and maybe throw some money at state House races. But if national Democrats feel Biden is backed into a corner and have more important races elsewhere to fund, Texas will go overlooked. One Democratic operative told The Blast that the debate “just institutionalizes that we’re not in play as a state,” that this isn’t Biden’s or Allred’s year. Yet, that operative and others The Blast spoke to felt down-ballot Dems could still hold their own if they run on things like abortion and education. “The rest is in God’s hands, and Joe Biden’s doctors.” Polls suggest Democratic candidates across the country will outperform Biden. However, unlike Democrats in swing states, Allred has been polling in line with Biden. More on that in a moment. As Democrats regroup, many are urging their colleagues to take a deep breath and remember there’s a lot of game left to be played. Just look at U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey’s comments in this afternoon’s story from The Texas Tribune’s Matthew Choi and Jasper Scherer. But while some Democrats publicly tell their colleagues not to panic, state Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, called on his party to replace Biden with Harris at the Democratic National Convention. Reynolds will be a delegate at the Democratic National Convention and chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. After a brutal primary cycle in which Texas Republicans appeared to cannibalize themselves over school vouchers and intraparty politics, Democrats hope to capitalize on Republican disunity and the Republican roster’s shift to the right. State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, was on NBC DFW’s Lone Star Politics yesterday (pre-debate) and said Democrats could pick up seats against Republicans like Marc LaHood, who replaced moderate candidates in battleground districts. He also suggested Allred, who hails from Dallas, could help elevate Democrats in Dallas-area seats to victory, like in races against state Reps. Angie Chen Button of Richardson and Morgan Meyer of University Park. Would Turner have made the same comments had he been on TV this morning? [END] --- [1] Url: https://mailchi.mp/texastribune/the-blast-david-axelrods-charlie-brown-rain-cloud Published and (C) by Texas Tribune Content appears here under this condition or license: Used with Permission: https://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/texastribune/