Democrats gain steam in Texas, Florida, Georgia governor’s races despite red wave forecasts

Despite predictions of a Republican wave election this fall, Beto O’Rourke and other Democratic candidates for governor in traditionally red states including Florida and Georgia continue to raise big money and produce polling numbers that suggest they have a legitimate shot this fall.

Democrats haven’t had a governor in any of those three states since the 1990s, yet even with President Joe Biden’s approval ratings in the tank and the midterms shaping up as a referendum on the lagging economy, O’Rourke in Texas, Stacey Abrams in Georgia, and Charlie Crist are scoring early.