I don’t see Beto as Latino. I see him as a chimichanga, a U.S.-born invention of something that then gets passed off as authentically Mexican. He’s that Mexican restaurant that white people like because the salsa doesn’t burn.

If he takes a pass on the Senate and runs for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, Beto will be that “Mexican” candidate who appeals to white liberals who want to say they voted for a Mexican without having to take the chance of actually voting for one—like say, Julian Castro, the former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, who has already entered the race.

You see, some say, you have to be careful when voting for a real Mexican. You just don’t know what they’ll do if they get a little power. Why, they might give Arizona back to Mexico—only to have our neighbor reject the offer with a friendly: “No gracias.” But with Beto, there’s no risk. White people pretty much know what he’s going to do. Because he’s one of them.