Democrats simply cannot or will not find a normal candidate to run in competitive or hostile Senate races. That leads to candidates such as Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, who have to run away from their bizarre past comments to avoid alienating voters.

On paper, the Senate race in Texas should at least be competitive. Attorney General Ken Paxton won the GOP nomination for the seat, carrying his political baggage into the general election. He is exactly the kind of candidate Democrats hope to see in races such as this. All it would take to make the race a real nailbiter would be a normal, sensible Democrat who broadly appeals to normal Texans.