Beto O’Rourke was confronted by an angry voter in New Hampshire Friday morning over a contribution he accepted from a fossil fuel lobbyist.
The exchange between O’Rourke and the woman unfolded during a town hall at a tea cafe in Somersworth, N.H., after it came out that the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful received a $250 donation from a Chevron lobbyist based in New Mexico on Mar. 29. The Texas Democrat has repeatedly fundraised on the basis that he has no ties to special interest groups.
“I don’t take PAC money, have not taken PAC money for approaching five years now, as a member of Congress, as a Senate candidate, and now as a candidate for the presidency,” O’Rourke said before handing the microphone over to the woman so she did not “have to shout.”
She told him he took the maximum contribution from eight different oil and gas CEOs and executives, which makes it “harder for us to believe” his promises to combat climate change.
“I was just told as we drove in that we accepted on one of the last days of the FEC filing period a check from a lobbyist. We are returning that check from the lobbyist,” O’Rourke said.
[Also read: Beto O’Rourke underpaid taxes in 2013, 2014]
He said he was seeking the presidency because he understood “what was coming for” his children “unless we take action right now” regarding the environment, but he declined to sign a pledge agreeing to forgo all money from the fossil fuel industry. Activists, such as those from the Sunrise Movement, have been calling on White House hopefuls to endorse the Green New Deal and decline donations of more than $200 from “dirty” sectors.
“I want to do everything within our power to make sure we get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible,” he said. “I’m not going to write off an entire industry and group of people based on that. If we’re going to come together at this very divided, highly polarized moment, we’ve got to bring people together, see common cause, and ensure everyone is part of the solution.”
