‘Disruptor’ faces skilled lawmaker in Senate runoff. But can either threaten Cornyn?

It took nearly a full day of vote counting, but the lineup for the Democrats’ U.S. Senate runoff is set, pitting two center-left candidates with contrasting styles.

Both Air Force veteran MJ Hegar and state Sen. Royce West of Dallas are serious contenders. We’re on record as saying West is the better choice, but Hegar has plenty to offer voters, too, as indicated by her strong lead in the 12-candidate pack in the first round of voting. The two are similar on policy, avoiding most full-blown progressive stances on issues such as health care and guns.

That means Democratic runoff voters will have to consider personality and experience more than policy differences. And there’s plenty to distinguish the two. Hegar casts herself as a “disruptor,” fond of blunt language and shake-it-up stances.

West carries a legislator’s mien. He is pitching himself as someone who can get things done, touting his successes in a Texas Senate controlled by Republicans for almost his entire tenure.

That’s not to say West isn’t capable of getting animated on the stump and rousing a crowd. But the stylistic differences are stark. You probably won’t hear West say to incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, as Hegar did in her election-night speech: “You’re fired. Pack it up, buttercup.”

And Hegar’s desire to disrupt the Senate strikes us as overkill. We need more senators who are serious about reaching compromises on the major issues we face, not focused on stirring the pot.

With so many candidates in the race, there hasn’t been a lot of direct interaction. That will change with the runoff. One point of contention is sure to be the Democrats’ national Senate campaign organization endorsing Hegar during the primary. At the time, West was critical, arguing that the party was snuffing out the voice of minority voters.

But that endorsement and the backing of other national groups give Hegar a decided edge in fundraising. She’ll be in a better position to afford TV ads, which could be enormously helpful in a low-turnout race.

Runoffs tend to draw less voter interest than first-round primary battles, and with two-little known candidates and few other interesting battles to spur turnout, this one could be a sleepy affair. That might benefit West, who could be better positioned among diehard traditional Democratic voters.

Either way, the runoff is one more obstacle for Democrats to pull an unlikely upset against Cornyn. To have a chance, the Democratic nominee would need every possible minute to raise money and build a campaign infrastructure. Spending weeks battling another party rival will be costly.

That said, as in the presidential race, Democratic voters did their party a favor by avoiding candidates that have tacked too far to the left. West was battling Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, a progressive activist, for the final runoff spot, and while she’s impressive, her views on issues are far out of the Texas mainstream.

Any Texan who voted in the Democratic primary can of course take part in the runoff. But so can those who sat out the primaries, and newly registered voters. The only voters excluded are those who took part in the Republican primary; you can’t cross over between primaries and runoffs.

Early voting will be the week of May 18. Election Day is May 26.

This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 11:03 AM.