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For more than a decade, Democrats have cycled through would-be breakthrough figures in Texas, each representing a new theory of how to crack the state’s Republican dominance. First came state Sen. Wendy Davis, also known as Abortion Barbie, whose 2013 abortion filibuster turned her into a national progressive icon and the face of a hoped-for suburban realignment. Then, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) rode grassroots energy and charisma to within a few points of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018, convincing many that demographic change was finally arriving. More recently, in 2024, Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) embodied a different strategy: a low-drama, center-left profile aimed at peeling away educated suburban voters uncomfortable with GOP politics.