Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams shot into the political stratosphere four years ago when the fresh-faced Democrats electrified the party on their way to better-than-expected showings in statewide races in deep-red Texas and purple Georgia.
This year, they are struggling to build on those near-success stories in a pair of gubernatorial races, and they are running out of time to seize the momentum from Republican incumbent Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Brian Kemp of Georgia.
Less than two months from Election Day, Mr. Kemp and Mr. Abbott are the clear front-runners, political analysts say, and the longer Mr. O’Rourke, 50, and Ms. Abrams, 48, have basked in the national limelight, the more polarizing they have become.
“They would like to move up in the party, clearly, but they are running in difficult states,” said Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election tracker. “The climate has improved for Democrats, but has it improved so much that candidates who seem even more liberal than they did four years ago can win?
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/oct/2/stacey-abrams-beto-orourke-struggle-build-early-bu/