Nigeria, Nov. 14 -- The 2018 United States Senate election in Texas, held on 6 November, was quite remarkable. For the first time in several years, the race did not look like a straightforward Republican victory. Incumbent Senator Ted Cruz faced a formidable challenge from a Democratic congressman representing Texas's 16th Congressional District. His name was Robert Francis O'Rourke, popularly known as Beto O'Rourke. In the end, Cruz prevailed, but by just 215,000 votes, or 2.6 percentage points. Beto's performance was extraordinary for a Democrat challenging an incumbent in a deeply Republican state like Texas.

Yet, despite Beto's spectacular performance, the outcome was deeply disappointing to many Democrats who believed that nobody el...