60% of Texas Democrats would rather see Beto O'Rourke return to his home state in 2020 to challenge Republican John Cornyn for his Senate seat rather than continue to pursue the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
Why it matters: O'Rourke catapulted to the national stage after almost unseating Sen. Ted Cruz in one of the most surprisingly competitive elections of 2018. With a 24-candidate primary field, voters could be looking at the Democrats who haven't broken out in national polling to run in the Senate, where not many high-profile names have announced campaigns.
The big picture: The new Quinnipiac survey suggests that former Vice President Joe Biden is polling ahead of Trump in a head-to-head matchup by a full 4% in Texas — traditionally a Republican stronghold. Four other Democrats are polling within the margin of error (+/- 3.4).
By the numbers:
- Biden (48%) over Trump (44%)
- Trump (46%) over Sen. Elizabeth Warren (45%)
- Trump (48%) over Beto O'Rourke (45%)
- Trump (47%) over Sen. Bernie Sanders (44%)
- Trump (46%) over Mayor Pete Buttigieg (44%)
- Trump (47%) over Sen. Kamala Harris (43%)
- Trump (46%) over former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro (43%)
Go deeper: The size of the Democratic field is causing big problems
