That fact alone may quash Democratic hopes of shifting the court leftward during this half of the 21st century.

Cruz’s ongoing unpopularity problem and Texas’ leftward shift make it all the more puzzling that national Democrats have failed to coordinate a better effort behind Rep. Colin Allred, the party’s nominee.

Harris moved notably leftward in her 2020 bid for president, seeing it as the best path to the Democratic nomination.

It was political expediency — or, as some close to Harris prefer, necessity — that caused her to stake her leftward ground.

Still, the hangover from her failed 2020 campaign lingers, owing to Harris’ leftward lurch and the position she took on issues, such as healthcare and immigration, that Trump and other Republicans have eagerly used to portray “Comrade Kamala” as the ideological stepchild of Karl Marx and Chairman Mao.