An Intro to Our Beto-meter and Castro-meter

The Lone Star State's two favorite sons on the 23-player 2020 Democratic Presidential Team roster – former El Paso congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, and former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro – will both be on stage this Wednesday, June 26, for the first night of the two-part initial Dem debate, live from Miami.

As of press time, Beto's at 4% in the Real Clear Politics national poll average (sixth place) and Castro's at 1% (tied for eighth place) – nothing to crow about, but still on the field. (We're not holding O'Rourke's initially inflated numbers against him.) This week, we'll calibrate the Beto-meter and Castro-meter, establishing the baseline from which we'll occasionally track the Texans' performances as they rise and fall going forward, for as long as they stay in the race (conceivably until the Texas primary in March). We'll be following both their polling numbers and on-the-trail developments, but won't waste your time manufacturing momentum for the sake of a storyline.