It’s not the most typical scenario: a Democrat who lost against a widely-unpopular Republican incumbent has become one of the potential frontrunners in the next presidential election.

Then again, Beto O’Rourke is not your typical political candidate.

The Democratic congressman, who sought to unseat Ted Cruz in the Texas midterms, garnered national recognition for launching a campaign based on unity and bipartisanship. His race broke fundraising records and spurred voter turnout across the Lone Star state, comparable to presidential elections.

For a region that had not elected a Democrat to statewide office in more than 30 years, it appeared for a moment in time as if Texas was about to send a progressive to the US Senate.

Mr O’Rourke won over more than 48 per cent of the state compared to Mr Cruz, who received 51 per cent of votes, with 94 per cent of polling sites reporting their data, the Associated Press reported early on Wednesday morning.

But the rising Democratic star captured the hearts and minds of voters across the country, who saw him as the perfect representation of a blue wave threatening to unseat a slate of Republican incumbents such as Mr Cruz in reliably red regions that became battleground states during this historic election season.

“It’s a very good day for his presidential prospects, but the campaign will start today,” Brian Klaas, a political scientist and US election specialist at University College London, told The Independent.

Mr O’Rourke running for his party’s presidential nomination, had he won on Tuesday night, would have been “broadly seen as abandoning his post”, Mr Klaas said.

“The people who are opposed to the idea of Beto running will say, ‘But what has he won other than a House seat?’ And that’s the conventional wisdom, that you need to win the governorship or a Senate race statewide.

“But Donald Trump didn’t do that, so I think he’s going to be a viable candidate almost immediately. He’s got the charisma, he’s from a red state, which means he can pick up voters in non-traditional parts of America for Democrats, he would made Texas competitive – that would be an earthquake for the electoral college.”

Ted Cruz congratulates Beto O'Rourke 'he poured his heart into this campaign'

However, there are factors which make it unlikely Mr O’Rourke will win the Democratic nomination for 2020, including – Mr Klaas noted – the man himself having previously ruled it out.

Another is that the midterms were generally a “victory of women”, setting the Democratic nomination up for a potential female candidate.

“If he doesn’t run, and somebody who is a woman does, I think he would be the top choice for vice-presidential candidate,” Mr Klaas said, adding: “He’ll either run, or he’ll be in contention very quickly for vice-presidential consideration.”

Tony Pierce, who travelled from California to Texas with his wife in October in order to campaign for the Democratic candidate, told The Independent: “I really think Texas is on its way. This is the start of their story. The next generations are going to build from here, and maybe that’s the most inspiring part of all of this.”

Shortly after the election was called for Mr Cruz, Twitter erupted with calls for Mr O’Rourke to now run in 2020 against Donald Trump – who threw his support behind Mr Cruz, stumping for his former opponent with whom he had exchanged controversial insults during the general election just two years ago.

US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Show all 28 1 /28 US midterm elections: voters head to the polls US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Beto O'Rourke talks with a supporters after he cast his ballot at El Paso Community College-Rio Grande Campus Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Sarah Salem, 34, swims as voters cast their ballots at Echo Deep Pool in Los Angeles AP US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Abigail Spanberger, Democratic candidate to represent Virginia's seventh Congressional district in the US House of Representatives; casts her ballot to vote in the 2018 midterm general election, with her daughters Claire (L), Charlotte (Bottom C) and Catherine (R); inside a polling station located at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A voter waits behind a line to cast their vote at a Fulton County polling place in Atlanta, Georgia REUTERS US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Representative Peter King and his wife Rosemary hand in their completed ballots as voters turn out at the Manor Elementary School in Seaford AP US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Two year old Mave Adilatta looks out from a voting booth as her mother casts her ballot in Cambridge, Massachusetts EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Beto O'Rourke, candidate for US Senate, speaks with reporters after voting REUTERS US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A voters fills out their ballot for the midterm election at a polling place in Madison, Wisconsin REUTERS US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Congresswomen Elect Ayanna Pressley speaks to reporters after voting at the Adams Street Library AFP/Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A sign showing voters where to cast their ballots in the 2018 midterm election in the Mt Airy neighborhood in Philadelphia EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Democratic candidate for Vermont Governor Christine Hallquist leaves after voting in Hyde Park, Vermont EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Members of the group Your Vote Matters place signs on an overpass in Saint Louis, Missouri EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters cast their ballots at a polling station setup in a City of Hialeah Fire Station Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters enter a polling station in Des Moines, Iowa Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Volunteers with the Democratic party take cover from the rain as they wait to speak to voters outside of a polling station AFP/Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters cast their ballots in the 2018 midterm election at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Streetsboro, Ohio EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Democratic candidate for Vermont Governor Christine Hallquist campaigns in Stowe EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A voter of the Jewish community is seen leaving after he cast his ballot in the midterm election at the East Midwood Jewish Center polling station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City AFP/Getty Images US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A man wearing a New York Yankees hat votes during in Manhattan Reuters US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters line up to cast their ballot just before the polls open in the mid-term election in Miami Getty US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters cast their ballots at the Tuttle Park Recreation Center polling location in Columbus, Ohio AP US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Stickers that read 'I Voted' are seen at a polling station located at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Poll workers check over voting machinery before voters arrive at Franklin School in Ohio USA EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters cast their ballots at Immaculate Conception Parish Hall in Ravenna, Ohio EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Election judges take the oath before opening a polling location in Arlington Heights, Illinois EPA US midterm elections: voters head to the polls Voters arrive at the Tuttle Park Recreation Center in Columbus, Ohio AP US midterm elections: voters head to the polls People vote in Manhattan Reuters US midterm elections: voters head to the polls A voter uses an electronic voting machine AP

Mr O’Rourke thanked his supporters on Tuesday night, telling them in a concession speech that immediately went viral: “I’m so f*cking proud of you guys.”

He added: “Tonight’s loss does nothing to diminish the way I feel about Texas or this country. I believe in you. I believe in Texas. I believe in this country.”

Throughout the election, Mr O’Rourke flatly denied he would run against the president in 2020 if elected to the US Senate.

However, his loss has now left the door open for him to launch a presidential bid ahead of the next elections – and at a time when the Democratic Party has no clear frontrunner, the slot could easily go to a popular Democrat from a state like Texas rather than a coastal region such as New York or California.

#Beto2020 was one of the top trending hashtags on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with Twitter users imploring the Democrat to consider another campaign in the months ahead.

“Beto might have lost Texas but his loss has paved the way for him to run for president,” one user wrote.

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“I don’t know enough but I sure like what I see so far; and I know that sometimes things happens for a reason,” said another.

As for Mr O’Rourke, the Democrat did not mention 2020 in his concession speech on Tuesday night. However, he hinted at continuing to fight for bipartisan values in Texas.