If Beto O’Rourke ran his campaign like his concession speech, I may have voted for him

Sincerity in election defeat

I did not vote for Beto O’Rourke, but I listened to the speech he gave to his supporters on election night and was touched by the sincerity with which he thanked them. He acknowledged his mother’s efforts and spoke movingly of her cancer diagnosis. He sounded better than he ever did harping on issues.

- Julie Wende, Fort Worth

Grateful for public service

To every candidate who stepped up to run for office: Thank you. It is a brave and selfless endorsement of democracy. I especially thank the candidates who chose to run even though they were highly unlikely to win. There is nothing more discouraging to voters than uncontested races. We deserve the chance to vote for candidates who represent us.

Thanks, too, to those who focused their fundraising on grassroots donations from people like you and me. Money is necessary to run a viable campaign, but the amount of money raised and spent now is wasteful and corrupting.

Thanks to those who spent countless hours reaching out to the community and to those who voiced their positions and goals and challenged opponents without resorting to personal attacks and lies.

Candidates with integrity will save our democracy. Support and encourage them in future elections.

- Beth Llewellyn, McLaughlin

Beto wants to give a choice

What did I do to deserve Nicole Russell’s takedown of Beto O’Rourke? (Nov. 10, 11A, “3 races, 3 big losses. Will Beto go away now?”) He lost an election for governor that he was almost bound to lose in a Republican-leaning state. But Russell’s column had me mumbling to myself. It appears she took out her bias against Democrats on O’Rourke, whose attempt to provide Texans with an alternative candidate deserves credit.

I knew better than to tackle Russell so early in the morning. I usually try to begin my day calmly with coffee and the newspaper. But Thursday’s edition was a wrap-up of the election and deserved thorough perusal.

I enjoyed Bud Kennedy’s commentary on the Tarrant County judge race. (Nov. 10, 3A, “What O’Hare’s victory means for Tarrant County and Texas”) It was full of information — and never denigrated Deborah Peoples’ worthy lost-cause attempt to breach Republicans’ hold on the county.

- Linda V. Bartles, Fort Worth

Abbott’s win is Texas’ loss

Faced with a choice between a failed governor and a compassionate man, the state chose Greg Abbott.

While Abbott promoted fossil fuels and denigrated alternative energy, Beto O’Rourke championed health care and quality education for all.

While Abbott spent three hours at a Huntsville fundraiser the night after the Uvalde shooting, O’Rourke confronted his opponent the next day for encouraging gun violence by repeatedly easing gun laws.

Instead of addressing issues worth prioritizing, Abbott used dog whistles such as immigration to energize his supporters.

This loss is more than O’Rourke’s. It is ours, too.

- Barbara Chiarello, Austin

Choices didn’t reflect community

The Star-Telegram Editorial Board tried to sway this election to the Democrats. Of your 10 candidate recommendations, only three went to Republicans. But in those 10 races, eight Republicans won. You need a better board to recommend candidates who fit in with Fort Worth standards. We are not Dallas.

- Allison White, Fort Worth

Dump daylight saving time

Now that we have again changed our clocks, how about leaving the time as is forever? As the old saying goes: “Daylight saving time saves neither daylight nor time.”

I understand that in the summer, the sun sets late enough to get in a round of golf after work, and in the winter, there is more light in the morning for commuters. Is the twice-a-year change really worth all the hassle? The amount of daylight, dusk and early-morning light stays the same — regardless of how we humans set our clocks.

- Mark Swanson, Mansfield

No attention to the border

Every day on the news, we see footage of people crossing our southern border illegally. They have made a life-changing decision. Some have honorable reasons to come here, but others don’t. Our government doesn’t care to sort through the good from the bad — too often, it just catches and releases. And we hear crickets from the president and vice president, who was designated border czar. Is this the response you want from our highest elected officials?

- Rhonda Weaver, Weatherford