Beto O'Rourke appears to be close to jumping into the race for president, but some Texas Democrats hope he'll run for Senate instead.

That's not to say they would be terribly upset by their favorite son running for the White House. But in terms of what's best for Texas Democrats, some contend challenging Republican incumbent John Cornyn would provide a greater opportunity for victory and push Texas close to becoming a battleground, if not a bluer state.

"He just needs to decide where he thinks he can better serve and have a better chance of winning," said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. "It's not just can he do more as president, but where can he win?"

Hinojosa, who said he would be fine with whatever decision O'Rourke makes, said the best chance for the former El Paso congressman to score a groundbreaking victory is against Cornyn in 2020.

O'Rourke, and by extension Texas Democrats, are faced with a difficult decision. Does he take on the difficult task of running for president, a high risk even higher reward venture? Or does he make the seemingly safer choice of running against Cornyn, though that would also be a difficult contest? His choice could determine the future of the Texas Democratic Party that's been struggling for decades to get out of the political wilderness.

"The consensus is that if he does run for Senate, he has a good chance of winning," Hinojosa said.

Ed Espinoza, executive director of the progressive policy group Progress Texas, agreed. He said that O'Rourke is a proven fundraiser with a field operation ready to ignite again. An O'Rourke campaign could not only get past Cornyn, but help Texas Democrats make gains in Congress and maybe take control of the Texas House.

"If he runs for Senate, there will be a heck of a lot more enthusiasm here at home than in Iowa or New Hampshire," Espinoza said, though conceding that "Beto O'Rourke could successfully do whatever he wanted."

But Julie Ross, a Dallas health care and disability rights advocate who supported O'Rourke against Cruz, said he should run for president.

"No reruns. Let's do it," Ross said. "He should run for president. There are a lot of factors, including his message, that make him an appealing presidential candidate, even to Trump voters."

For his part, Cornyn is preparing for a serious challenge from O'Rourke or any other Democrat, including former San Antonio mayor Julián Castro or his twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio.

"Whether it's billionaire Beto O'Rourke or one of the Castros, the senator is looking forward to contrasting his vision for the country against their vision," said Cornyn campaign manager John Jackson.

White House or Senate bid?

O'Rourke became a presidential contender after his close Senate contest against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in November. He lost to Cruz by 2.6 percentage points, a groundbreaking result given that a Democrat hasn't won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

The El Paso Democrat was despondent after his loss to Cruz, telling Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday, "I felt a profound disappointment in myself that I let so many people down."

But as a "Draft Beto" for president movement began to take shape, he gave serious consideration to the idea of joining the crowded Democratic Party field for president. He told Winfrey that he would make a decision by the end of the month.

Beto O'Rourke campaigned at Opportunity Park in Dallas ahead of his November Senate race. (2018 File Photo / Shaban Athuman)

"We're up to all these challenges," he said. "We just need a politics, a representation that reflects our values, our goodness, our kindness."

Some analysts view the Senate race as the best path to a win.

Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said O'Rourke should abandon dreams of the White House and run for Senate. He says O'Rourke has already run effectively in the state, building a field organization, a fundraising base and high-name recognition.

He added that polls show Cornyn is not as popular with the GOP base as Cruz, and that Democratic turnout in 2020 would be higher than in 2018, making it easier for O'Rourke to prevail.

"Why would you take all of those assets and try to leverage them in the hardest thing to do, which is run nationally in a crowded field in a primary where the party is the out party?" Henson said. "His assets are more valuable in Texas than nationally."

Henson said that as a Senate candidate O'Rourke could help turn Texas into battleground state that ultimately turns blue. That would block the Republican path to the White House.

"That's the ballgame," Henson said.

But Ross said Texas remains tough for a Democrat to win a statewide race, particularly with voter identification laws and other factors that she says suppress votes. And Cornyn, Ross said, is less controversial and thus more appealing than Cruz.

"It's hard to win a Senate race in Texas and the odds would still be against us," she said. "The same style he used running for Senate against Cruz will work in a presidential race."

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who worked with O'Rourke on a Dallas County voter turnout project during the campaign, said he's gone over both options with the El Paso Democrat.

He wouldn't say which way O'Rourke is leaning.

"He would be great in either role," Jenkins said. "I could make the case, and I have made the case to Beto, for both scenarios."

Jenkins said voter turnout in Dallas County in last year's midterm election was 720,000, down from the 770,000 that voted in the 2016 presidential year. He forecasts that turnout in the county would be as high as 850,000 in 2020, a number that could give a Democrat a good chance of winning statewide.

But Jenkins understands the lure of the White House, particularly in an open field with President Donald Trump waiting in the middle of the battlefield.

"When you look at what his country needs, message-wise and hope-wise, he's an excellent candidate for that," he said.

Matt Angle, founder and director of the Democratic group called the Lone Star Project, said he selfishly would want O'Rourke to run for Senate because it would boost Texas Democrats.

"I don't blame him a bit for looking seriously at running for president," Angle said. "If I had my druthers I would want him to run for Senate, because I'm Texas focused."

Angle said Cornyn is beatable, partly because he's "given Trump a full bear hug" that won't play well to many Texas voters, particularly since Trump will be at the top of the ballot.

But Angle said O'Rourke should do what he feels is best.

"If the candidate's heart is not in it, that's not good for anybody," he said.

Who runs against Cornyn?

The biggest question for Democrats is what to do against Cornyn, if O'Rourke runs for president instead of Senate.

Hinojosa, the state party chairman, said there would be a strong candidate to challenge the incumbent, hinting that he preferred either O'Rourke or "one of the Castros to be in the mix."

Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor, is running for president. His brother, Joaquin Castro, has been mentioned as a possible candidate against Cornyn.

In 2018 both Castros opted against running for governor, though Joaquin Castro considered a bid for Attorney General against GOP incumbent Ken Paxton.

"I would be happy with either of those two last names," Hinojosa said about O'Rourke or the Castros for Senate. "I don't want to be the wallflower on this and left with no one to dance with."

Jackson said Cornyn didn't care who was running against him.

"It doesn't matter who it's going to be, he's going to be ready," he said.