Joe Biden’s win is balm for Texas Dems as GOP prepares to use president-elect as political piñata

With Biden as president, Texans will be in line for administration appointments, including former El Paso U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, whom Biden said he would tap to lead efforts on gun control. And because Black voters in the primary and general election were the engine of Biden’s formidable machine, Black leaders will likely benefit from a Biden presidency, as well as communities of color.

And California Sen. Kamala Harris, who will become the first woman and woman of color to serve as vice president, becomes an important symbol for minorities and women across the country.

Although they lost in Texas, Democrats showed they can turn out close to 5 million statewide voters in an election, though Republicans beat that total. Replicating that feat would keep Democrats in contention.

A Biden presidency is also important for local Texas officials. Before the polls closed on Tuesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said getting Biden elected president, along with Democrats winning the Texas House, would be like hitting the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. He got one of the two wins.

Jenkins and other local leaders are hopeful that a Biden administration will make it easier for them to deal with federal agencies and the White House, particularly as they strive to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

For Texas Republicans, a Biden presidency is a mixed bag. Trump surrogates like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick badly wanted another term for the president.

But now Republicans will use Biden as a political piñata, much like they did with former President Barack Obama. For the 2022 elections, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will be able to run an anti-Biden general election campaign. And Democrats won’t be able to use Trump to rally their voters.

Midterm elections are often disastrous for the party in power, so Republicans will enter the 2022 election season with an opportunity to exploit any anti-Biden sentiments that develop with the GOP base voters who will carry the blood-stained banner of Trumpism.

Democrats are happy to worry about that later. After all, their mission of removing Trump from the White House was successful, and what they view as a four-year nightmare created by the reality star’s 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton is over.