We may have an astronaut candidate for Senate.
Terry Virts (Credit: REUTERS/Ivan Sekretarev/Pool)
In the latest sign that Democrats are turning a new leaf after their dismal 2024 defeat, astronaut and political neophyte Terry Virts is planning to launch a run for the US Senate in Texas, GZERO Media has learned. He plans to challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, according to a Democratic operative familiar with the race. Virts’ pending announcement comes as former Rep. Colin Allred, a fellow Democrat, is reportedly planning another Senate bid, just six months after his eight-point loss to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
The latest internal battle. Whether it’s young versus old, or pro-fight versus pro-fold, the Democratic Party is undergoing an identity crisis following US President Donald Trump’s resurgent victory in November. If Virts indeed runs, it will likely set up a primary with Allred, in what would be another battle between the old guard and the upstarts.
Virts didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from GZERO Media.
Who is Virts? Born in Baltimore, the 57-year-old astronaut first learned how to fly at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, graduating in 1989. He served for another decade in the US military, where he flew F-16s, before joining NASA in 2000 – the Johnson Space Center is based in Houston, creating his Texas links. He retired 16 years later. Over the last decade, Virts has been more of a talking head, setting up a podcast that ran for two years and even appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience in 2020 – take that, Kamala Harris. He’s now built a solid social media following.
See here for some background. I go into this knowing nothing about Terry Virts. It’s important to remember that there’s a gap between “planning to launch” and actually running – not all campaigns get off the ground. But it’s encouraging that we’ve got interesting people at least taking a serious look. I look forward to welcoming him to the race. Link via The Downballot.