Can a former top aide to President George W. Bush run as an independent in Texas, take on Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, and win? 

We might get to find out. 

Matthew Dowd, who served as chief strategist for Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign before becoming a high-profile television pundit, is considering a run against the first-term Texas senator, according to The Texas Tribune. 

“I don’t know what I will do,” he told the news outlet. “But I am giving it some thought, and I appreciate the interest of folks.” 

A race against Cruz would be a long shot: Texas is deeply Republican, and the senator’s national stature makes him a fundraising machine in an expensive state. A successful independent bid against a Republican would necessitate almost universal support among Democrats, many of whom would likely vote for their own nominee instead. 

Dowd would also start the race with effectively no name recognition, and he has never held public office before. 

But the political strategist, who later became a critic of Bush and the Iraq War, would at least draw some attention in a contest against Cruz, the former presidential candidate, who is seeking to re-establish himself politically after his failed campaign last year.