Report from the bright red hinterlands a/k/a Midland, Texas
1) Saw 2 new Beto signs on the way to work this morning.
2) On my morning run through the heart of Old Midland money neighborhood, saw 2 Cruz signs, a metric fuckton of local City Council race signs and a lot of Mike Conaway for Congress signs. Not surprising - this neighborhood will vote overwhelmingly for Cruz but the vast majority don't want to be viewed as actually liking the guy. From my very unscientific survey of a very unscientific subset of Midland neighborhoods, I'd say the Beto signs outnumber Cruz 2-1 which is surprising to me. Obviously that's not how Midland will ultimately vote, but it does say something about enthusiasm for the candidates.
3) Yesterday's performance by the Republicans has cemented my formerly apolitical wife's move to the left. I quote from a text "I will never ever ever ever vote Republican again!" She announced this morning that she can't wait to vote on the first day of early voting. This is a woman who has voted once in the last two decades.
4) My conservative friends' take - Beto has a great personality, I can see why people like him, but he's a socialist from El Paso, so no.