Beto O'Rourke

He helped with Republican colleagues to rewrite our public education financing and then led the fight against vouchers, which is the privatization of public tax dollars, taking those monies away from public schools and sending them to

to private schools.

He also helped to cap the cost for insulin in the state of Texas at $25 for a copay.

These are very popular and maybe even populist issues that don't just play well in Austin and Houston and Dallas, but maybe even more so in remote, rural, and even red counties where the public schoolhouse is the largest employer.

in that given county, where public hospitals have shut down because of Medicaid cuts, and where these two things, public education and reducing cost of prescription drugs, are just incredibly popular regardless of your party affiliation.

I think if you can keep bringing us back to those things that bring us together, that most of us care about regardless of where we live or who we voted for for president,

in 2024.

He's going to continue to do well, even if he scores to the left of the middle of the Democratic Party on a few hot button political issues.

But even with those, I think he's got such an incredibly calming manner of listening to people, demonstrating respect, and then trying to find the common ground on those issues.

So, I mean, you're right.

This will be a test.

And I think the AB is all red in 24 in Tallarico in 26.

I don't know.

And I don't know how calculated this approach is.

I...

really like to think that this is authentic and genuinely James Tallarico and his approach to the world.

But I understand how it can seem programmed, right?

Like you're gonna be a straight white male who's conversant in Bible verse and New Testament theology.

and has a way of breaking through to audiences and parts of the electorate that maybe were unavailable to Democrats before and might also kind of buffer the impact of liberal or progressive ideas on hot button issues.

What I think that people want even more than that package is change from what has failed them so far.