John Cornyn, Joaquin Castro Clash in Preview of Potential 2020 Senate Contest

John Cornyn and Joaquin Castro clashed this week, giving Texas voters a preview of a potential 2020 match-up for Senate, a contest that could be one of the marquee match-ups in the country.The sniping between the campaigns comes as Castro, a San Antonio congressman, is nearing an announcement about a potential challenge of Cornyn, the incumbent who is stockpiling cash and interacting with his base to prepare for Castro -- or any Democrat that may emerge as his rival."They're getting warmed up. They're shadow boxing," said Republican political consultant Bill Miller. "Both sides are dead serious. It's game on and the stakes are high and you can expect haymakers to be thrown by both sides.""The opening salvos have been quite enjoyable," said Democratic political consultant Harold Cook. "All indications are that Castro is going to run and it will be a helluva race."Earlier this week, Cornyn campaign manager John Jackson described Castro as a Democratic socialist who votes against the interests of Texans."Whether it's Hurricane Harvey relief or the Green New Deal, time and again Congressman Castro has stood with Nancy Pelosi at the expense of Texans," Jackson told The Dallas Morning News in a statement about Cornyn's position in the 2020 elections. "John Cornyn looks forward to contrasting the Democrat-Socialist agenda with the policies that have made Texas the best state to live, work, and raise a family."Castro was one of a few Texas Democrats that voted against two Harvey relief bills last year. Democrats were miffed that the legislation didn't include protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children, among other things.Castro's campaign struck back, dubbing Cornyn "Washington John," and adding that the incumbent was distorting the congressman's record and afraid of a potential challenge to his re-election."We're 20 months away from an election where Joaquin isn't even a declared candidate and Washington John is already crying socialism and distorting Joaquin's voting record," said Castro adviser Matt Jones. "They're scared. And they deserve to be."  Continue reading...