Dave Weigel

But

This is another Trump-era Republican hubristic mistake, possibly.

Just nothing Mayores was doing in the final month, except for saying my opponent sent these insane texts, was saying, and if you're a Democrat, you should vote for me.

So the first time I was hearing Democrats panicked about Jones, and then the first polling that was public and released

maybe two weeks later, Jones had lost his lead to Mayores, but Mayores had not gained anything.

What was he doing to gain people?

Kind of nothing.

It was just hoping that they leave their ballot blank or something.

And some people did.

I think it was about 40,000 fewer votes cast in that race than the race for governor, twice as many write-ins.

But Democrats felt like voting for Democrats and getting revenge on Republicans.

And what was his plan for that?

He didn't really have one.

Yeah, I was just thinking about the reason Elise Stefanik did a farewell tour but did not quit her seat in Congress, which was that Democrats kept doing really well in special elections and her seat, which is redder than I think any of the new seats Republicans drew in Texas.

I don't be too definitive.

I know, yeah, the Trump margin there was bigger than the new seat that's kind of in San Marcos and the new seats in the Rio Grande Valley.

That is freezing some Republican blood today.

If you were...

Starting with a 2020 Trump map, not to repeat myself too much, and you look at that and say, well, roll it back to maybe 2020 Trump margins with non-white voters, with young voters.

Well, that's not the same map anymore.