Beto O'Rourke

The Year for Magical Thinking

How one progressive Texan's blog, filled with years of misplaced optimism and disproved predictions, has come to seem increasingly… reasonable

Plus: a matchmaking scam, a thief’s Beto O’Rourke cover story, and a footlong shrimp.

Weird news from far-flung Texas.

House Speaker Dennis Bonnen altered his party’s near-term agenda in service of the GOP’s long-term political project: Power. Will it work?

In the national spotlight, O’Rourke’s ideological amorphousness could prove to be too great a liability. Or it could be his biggest strength.

We think what it takes to shake up Washington is an outsider with new ideas, but what’s needed is an insider with strong convictions.

Our favorite longreads of the year.

To pull off the largest GOTV effort in state history, O’Rourke turned to the top architects of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.

Most failed presidential campaigns are high-risk bids for personal glory and a waste of time and money.

Over the last few years, something has been stirring in Texas. The midterm elections may signal a seismic shift in state politics.