Last week, voters in San Antonio approved an initiative to fund pre-K education for poor children by levying a city-wide sales tax – a coup for Julian Castro, the San Antonio mayor and keynote speaker at the DNC. Paul Burka calls it "the most important thing that happened on election night in Texas":
We may look back on that in future years (and not too future, say 2018) and realize that it was the essential first step for a future governor or senator. Full confession: I wrote that I thought Castro was taking too big a risk too early in his career, but fortune favors the bold in politics.
Overview of the pre-K program here. Prior to the election, Burka emphasized that while Castro "has the benefit of time," the Dems face a slow path forward in Texas:
I am among those who believe that Mr. Castro is an emerging political talent who has a bright future. But … that future is more likely to be in Washington than in Texas. The state Democratic party is not capable of supporting a statewide race and will not be able to do so until the Latino vote matures. That occurrence is years away–at best, 2018 or 2020…. I see no evidence of a Democratic renaissance. Where is the fundraising base? Steve Mostyn [the largest donor to Texas Democrats in 2010] can’t do it single-handedly, and the other trial lawyers aren’t playing. The state is still overwhelmingly Republican.
Meanwhile, Julian's identical twin brother, Joaquin, won a congressional seat last Tuesday.
The Dish 