Some Texas Democrats are convinced Biden can win the state

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last updated 23 October 2020

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro are urging Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to spend more money in Texas — and fast.

During a virtual news conference on Thursday organized by the Texas Democratic Party, O'Rourke and Castro explained why they think Biden has a chance to win the Lone Star State. Biden has more cash on hand than President Trump, giving him an opportunity to flood the airwaves with ads, and while Trump won Texas in 2016 by nine points, most recent polls show a tight race, with Biden trailing narrowly.

Castro said it makes sense Biden is focusing on battleground states Trump won in 2016, like Michigan and Pennsylvania, but it's close in Texas, and "that's just too much to ignore. The resources and investment ought to be made in this state because ... to win Texas is not just to win an election, it's to win on the issues that matter to our country, it's to send a strong message that Donald Trump can't deny and it will remake the electoral map for generations to the benefit of Democrats everywhere."

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With its 38 electoral votes, Texas will likely have all its ballots counted on election night, and O'Rourke wants to see Biden declared the winner on Nov. 3. "This state is theirs to lose," he said of the Biden campaign. "They've invested close to zero dollars in the state of Texas, and they're doing this well already. Imagine if they invested some real dollars." A Biden visit between now and Election Day "would electrify this state," O'Rourke said. "His commitment to the most diverse electorate of any swing state in the country would be powerful not just in Texas but would be powerful across this country."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.