Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke hinted that he is considering a run for governor of Texas.
“You know what, it’s something I’m going to think about,” O’Rourke said during an interview with an El Paso radio show earlier this week.
The former Democratic congressman criticized Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying Abbott’s “complete indifference” to helping local governments combat the disease caused Texas to suffer “perhaps more than any other state.”
“I want to make sure we have someone in the highest office in our state who’s going to make sure that all of us are OK,” O’Rourke said. “And especially those communities that so often don’t get the resources or attention or the help, like El Paso.”
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
O’Rourke’s interview was then shared by the Twitter account of a political action committee called Powered by People, which O’Rourke started, perhaps helping to increase speculation the former congressman is serious about a run.
“It’s something I’m gonna think about” – Beto O’Rourke responding to Buzz Adams’ question if he is considering a run for Governor of Texas.
Be sure to catch up on @KLAQ‘s full Skype interview with Beto. Link provided via the article. https://t.co/k5485GvAhi @KLAQ
— Powered By People?? (@poweredxpeople) January 25, 2021
The Texas gubernatorial election is slated to take place during the 2022 midterm elections, with Abbott seeking reelection to a third term.
O’Rourke served as the representative of Texas’s 16th Congressional District from 2013-2019, declining to seek reelection in 2018 to mount a Senate run against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.
O’Rourke’s underdog Senate campaign came up short against Cruz, causing O’Rourke to set his sights on a short lived campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
