Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said Tuesday he will decide on a 2020 presidential run within the next couple of weeks.
“The serious answer is really soon — before the end of this month,” O’Rourke said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey when asked if he had given himself a self-imposed deadline.
Since O’Rourke lost his Senate bid against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the November 2018 midterms, some Democrats have called on the 46-year-old to run for president.
“That’s a big question for us to think through,” O’Rourke said when Winfrey pressed him on whether he was running. He said he has been thinking about it, according to the Texas Tribune.
O’Rourke’s enthusiasm about a 2020 bid is turnaround from months ago during his Senate campaign when he said he would “not be a candidate for president in 2020.”
During his interview Tuesday, which will not air until Feb. 16 on Winfrey’s cable TV channel OWN, O’Rourke reflected on meeting former President Barack Obama which touched on a potential 2020 presidential bid.
“Even saying these words, it’s hard to believe that I’m saying I met with Barack Obama,” O’Rourke said, according to the Washington Post. “And I’m saying it to Oprah Winfrey.”
O’Rourke said Obama did not explicitly encourage him to launch a presidential campaign. He also reflected on his Senate bid, claiming he could have defeated Cruz. However, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what went wrong for his campaign.
“I don’t all the way know,” O’Rourke said when asked why he believed he lost. “Certainly I could’ve done so many different things in that campaign. … I know we could’ve won that race.”
Appearing for an interview with Winfrey afterwards was actor Bradley Cooper. “I hope he runs,” he said, adding, “We need inspiration.”
