Regardless of political stance, there were many important people to vote in this past election. In Texas, the race for governor came down to two men: Democrat Beto O’Rourke and Republican Greg Abbott. O’Rourke lost by a margin of nearly 10%, making this election a rude awakening to all who thought Texas would go blue.

While O’Rourke has plenty of positive qualities that he used to gain the support of young voters, he has experienced the misfortune of being a Democrat in Texas. He has served as a representative for the 16th Congressional District since 2013, but every time O’Rourke attempts to shoot for the stars, he is quickly put back down by the traditionalistic Republicans that seem to control Texas — reminiscent of 2018 when Beto decided to run against Republican senator Ted Cruz and lost a very close election by a margin of 2.6%. 

Dethroning a Republican in Texas might be one of the most challenging tasks a politician could face in America, and it has become clear that appealing to young voters is not enough. The sad truth here is that Texas is not ready to elect Democratic officials, and it may never quite get there as long as older voters continue to lean right. The political landscape of Texas is still controlled by Republican voters and officials, and as long as that stands true, O’Rourke will struggle to be elected as anything more than a district representative.