Don Huffines pledges Cowboys will win Super Bowl if he’s governor. Good luck with that

Don Huffines is campaigning for governor on big promises and relentless attacks on incumbent Greg Abbott.

But now, the former state senator from Dallas is pledging to deliver on something that has eluded Hall of Famers and other talented contenders for decades: a Cowboys Super Bowl victory.

Huffines aired an ad during Sunday’s Dallas loss to the Arizona Cardinals lamenting that under Abbott’s leadership, Texas has fallen behind Florida. If you don’t closely follow Republican politics, it’s part of an ongoing quien es mas macho comparison of GOP leaders.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has won admiration for his willingness to poke Democrats and the media in the eye. For some, Florida is the model for governance, and other Republicans — especially those who want to run for president, as some say ]Abbott might — are trying to catch up to DeSantis.

Among Huffines’ points is that a Florida team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the reigning Super Bowl champ. He vows to get Texas’ “swagger” back.

Whatever DeSantis’ accomplishments, he hardly deserves credit for Tom Brady going to play in Tampa. And what about the Houston Texans? Is Huffines going to elevate them to a championship contender?

Apparently, some promises are too big for even him.

If it all sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. But then, Huffines says he’ll close off the border, even if he has to usurp the federal government, and to eliminate property taxes in Texas. Getting the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl in nearly three decades might be more plausible.

There’s a lot of blame to go around for the Cowboys’ playoff record, but none of it falls to Abbott. He didn’t pass on drafting Randy Moss. He didn’t give Jason Garrett nearly a decade as coach to mire in mediocrity. And it was Tony Romo, not Abbott, who dropped a snap in a playoff game and derailed one of the better Cowboys teams of the era.

Huffines has a narrow path to victory, if he has one at all. He has to persuade millions of Republicans to abandon Abbott and choose him rather than fellow challengers Allen West and Chad Prather. Abbott has had his stumbles, but his approval ratings remain strong, especially among Republicans.

Some of the ad is fair game. Abbott’s pursuit of the title of toughest Republican has led to unfortunate moves, such as promoting a flagrantly unconstitutional law targeting social-media companies and flip-flopping on the state barring businesses from requiring COVID vaccines for workers.

We understand Huffines is throwing a Hail Mary. But our campaigns are full of enough distractions already. Texas has serious issues to debate in a short time before the March 1 primaries, and as much as fans’ hearts burn for another championship, the Cowboys’ record isn’t one of them.

We’re all for fun, clever political ads. But this one draws a penalty flag for inanity.