Beto's Sky-High Expectations

If, as expected, Beto O'Rourke enters the presidential race in the coming weeks, the former three-term Texas congressman will arguably face the highest expectations of any Democratic candidate in the 2020 lot.

His fate will likely be determined if he can meet the sky-high bar quickly and sufficiently.

"Beto's a real wild card," says Charles Chamberlain, the executive director of Democracy for America. "He has the potential to be a dark horse that surprises everybody. He also has the potential to be a flash in the pan."

The 46-year-old O'Rourke's unlikely journey to this moment was borne out of exceeding expectations. A loss in last year's U.S. Senate race to Ted Cruz in the reliably red Lone Star State was just narrow enough to make people believe in his future potential. Strangely enough, a win would've made this opportunity virtually impossible.

Odder still: A second consecutive Senate race was the riskier gambit.