Willie Nelson has charisma and his fans. Many call him a “National Treasure” of Texas. When under the influence, Willie’s fans will probably vote democratic or not at all. I’ve yet to hear anyone say he’s voting for Beto because of Willie’s endorsement. In fact Willie’s approval may have a negative influence with voters.
Cruise is very intelligent, a strict Constitutionalist, and believes in the rule of law (something conservative Texans are watching closely nowadays). I agree, he has the charisma of a turnip. In 2016 nominations, he didn’t see Trump coming and got caught up in the politics of the moment. Unable to sort it out, he went down in flames as did others with far more political acumen. I doubt he will ever be POTUS, but if Trump is wise, Cruise has all the makings of a great Supreme Court judge. In the meantime he will serve us well as a Senator.
Beto on the other hand is the best the democratic party can offer. Thank God they did not find and convince some of the better qualified democrats in Texas to run against Cruise. Having witnessed the Wendy Davis fiasco (a new low in Texas politics), the smart ones are sitting on the sidelines watching this play out. The Obama crowd, the Trump haters, and maybe some of the Republican Cruise haters from the 2016 elections will vote for Beto. The rest will vote for Cruise or not at all. If there is a big voter turnout, then Beto is toast.
The key here is convincing conservative Texans (and middle of the road democrats) Beto is for real and not another Wendy Davis. I don’t believe this will happen.
Look at where we are now. The left, motivated by a visceral hatred for all things Republican (which used to be synonymous with conservatism) and especially Donald Trump, has become so bloody wacky they're happy to rub elbows with the Socialists, Democratic Socialists or whatever they like to call themselves this week. Democrats from eras past are rolling over in their graves.
Anyway, since polls are so unreliable these days, I'm sure we won't be able to count on anything until election day.
On the lighter side, I've discovered that I'm not the only one who is not enamored with Willie. Others have come out of the closet -- privately, of course, for fear of being accused of Willie Derangement Syndrome. There are precious few safe places to speak an ill word about Willie.