In a lot of these areas, you simply couldn’t win running as a Republican. Some figured out they could win on the Dem line even if their ideology was center-right. Hispanics are waking up and trending GOP, especially in the Rio Grande Valley.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m willing to accept the opportunist. That’s part of how politics works. Even if some of your members aren’t so hot, if you have a majority in the chamber, you get to set the agenda.
But a guy like this should be watched, and his ascent in the party leadership should be slow.