If it's criticism like mine, it's more to the tune of "You never showed up". I don't remember seeing a single campaign or rally; instead Beto was looked at to lead Texas and nothing else. The message was pretty clear locally, the Democratic party wasn't coming.
There were already image problems in Texas. When George Bush took office, many liberal publications took to the tactic of repeatedly airing his stuttering in speeches. It led to this perception that people thought he was stupid, and many conservatives started pushing their audiences to AM radio - which was the first step in sewing distrust in "mainstream media".
This is all from my recollection, a good bit of it as a child, and I've never seen anyone acknowledge how these events are linked. I'm sure economics, healthcare, education, etc are also all tied up in this mix of this too.
The narrative about the Democratic party not coming is particularly amusing in regards to Texas. They tried to come there in 2020 and they were run out of town to the great enjoyment of the local police.
I don't think that negates not showing up in 2016 (or prior). If anything, if you have zero presence and investment over a long period of time you can expect things to get worse.
There were already image problems in Texas. When George Bush took office, many liberal publications took to the tactic of repeatedly airing his stuttering in speeches. It led to this perception that people thought he was stupid, and many conservatives started pushing their audiences to AM radio - which was the first step in sewing distrust in "mainstream media".
This is all from my recollection, a good bit of it as a child, and I've never seen anyone acknowledge how these events are linked. I'm sure economics, healthcare, education, etc are also all tied up in this mix of this too.