It’s not too early to start thinking about the 2024 elections.
The presidential race will be most closely watched but far from the only high-profile contest.
Enter: Texas U.S. Senate
Incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz will be running for re-election to a third term in office but says he may also run for president, and has long advocated for congressional term limits.
Cruz is widely considered to be vulnerable in 2024 due to his contested re-election in 2018 and a small but growing Democratic tendency in Texas in recent years.
Also as the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator in 2018, Cruz defeated Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke by a margin just short of 215,000 votes, or 2.6 percent; the race was the closest U.S. Senate race in Texas since 1978.
Can Democrats flip this seat?
No Democrat has won a general election for statewide office in Texas since Bob Bullock was reelected as lieutenant governor in 1994.
Declared 2024 Texas U.S. Senate Candidates
Ted Cruz, incumbent U.S. Senator, Republican (2013–present)
John Love III, financial advisor, former Midland mayor pro tempore, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020, Democrat
Potential Democratic Candidates
Eva Longoria, actress, producer, and director
Best known for her role on the hit ABC-TV show Desperate Housewives, Longoria has previously expressed interest in running for the Senate. The celebrity/activist was vocal in her opposition to Trump administration policies, including the border wall and family separation. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas SHE has been a voice for Latinos.
Colin Allred, U.S. Representative for Texas’s 32nd congressional district (2019–present)
Allred, a former NFL football player with the Dallas Cowboys and civil rights attorney, represents Texas’s 32nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives and was a longshot consideration for Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in 2016.
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs head coach, president
Since taking over as coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA in 1996, “Popovich “Coach Pop” is the longest-tenured active coach in the league as well as all other major sports leagues in the United States. A winner of five national titles, Popovich has the most wins of any coach in NBA history and is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches ever.
Often vocal on issues of the day, will he hang up basketball for politics?
Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017), former Mayor of San Antonio (2009–2014), and candidate for President of the United States in 2020
Born to Mexican immigrant parents, Castro, at 26, was elected the youngest person to be elected to the Texas State Legislature in 2004.
Other possible candidates
Aaron Arguijo, coffee shop owner and U.S. Navy veteran
Teresa Naranjo
Heli Rodriguez-Prilliman, investor
Sherri Lynn Taylor
Joaquin Castro, U.S. Rep for Texas’s 20th congressional district (2013–present)
Veronica Escobar, U.S. Rep for Texas’s 16th congressional district (2019–present)
Lizzie Fletcher, U.S. Rep for Texas’s 7th congressional district (2019-present)
Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge (2019–present)
Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Judge (2011–present)
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio (2017–present)
Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an online political newsletter and election handicapper that predicts electoral outcomes for the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, U.S. governors, and U.S. presidential races, insists the possibility of a Cruz win in 2024 is likely but not solid.
