HOUSTON — The sign in the newsroom of the Austin-based, politically prescient Texas Tribune has been up for several months. It reads, “Days since a national Beto O’Rourke profile:” The number, as of yesterday, was zero. Just recently, the chief executive of The Trib, Evan Smith, cracked similarly wise in a tweet: “The humping of Beto O’Rourke’s leg by every magazine in America is, well, something.”

Representative Beto O’Rourke, who you probably know has been running to take the seat of Senator Ted Cruz, has been the subject of hagiographic articles in just about every publication in existence, including Town & Country, a magazine rarely known for its political influence. Beto (he has achieved first-name status) has also appeared on the TV shows of Ellen DeGeneres, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher, among many, many others.

Beto fever has reached malarial levels on both coasts, too. It is impossible for a Texan to visit Manhattan or Los Angeles or Washington or Seattle without being cornered by some near-delirious soul who wants to know if Beto really has a chance.

For a Texan, especially one who leans left, this situation can be disconcerting. It’s nice to feel so much enthusiasm for a Texas race, but the implication, subtle though it may be, is that Beto is the only living human who might be able to save Texas from itself.