Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke reportedly confirmed to an El Paso TV station that he is indeed running for president, potentially ending months of speculation.
“I’m really proud of what El Paso did and what El Paso represents. It’s a big part of why I’m running. This city is the best example of this country at its best,” the Democrat said in a text message to KTSM, the local NBC affiliate Wednesday.
Text from @BetoORourke to KTSM, the El Paso TV station, confirming his run pic.twitter.com/6FER8zu21Z
— Emily Ramshaw (@eramshaw) March 13, 2019
The El Paso native has been fueling speculation for months about whether or not he will throw his hat into the ring of 2020 Democratic challengers. He was widely expected to announce this week, and Reuters reported he will announce his run for president Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. on social media.
O’Rourke, who goes by his childhood nickname, was born and raised in El Paso by his father Pat O’Rourke, whose tenure included serving as a county commissioner, county judge, and the state chair for Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, and his mother. The younger O’Rourke attended Columbia University in New York City, graduating in 1995. While in high school and college O’Rourke played in punk rock bands.
He moved back to Texas in 1998, the same year he was charged with driving while intoxicated after speeding and hitting a truck while driving drunk, although those charges were dismissed after he completed a court-approved diversion program.
In 2005, O’Rourke married his wife Amy and followed in his father’s footsteps by entering local politics. He won a seat on the El Paso City Council, where he served until 2011. O’Rourke journeyed into national politics in 2012 when he ran for the House in Texas’ 16th district. He served as a progressive voice in the lower chamber until he decided to run against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the 2018 election.
O’Rourke’s 2018 Senate run in reliably red Texas gained traction and, with it, donations. O’Rourke raised a staggering $38 million in the third quarter of 2018 while working to upset Cruz. Cruz won by less than 3 percentage points in a state where President Trump won by a more than 9-point margin. Despite O’Rourke’s narrow loss, pundits and politicos began looking to the future.
Speculation has since been rampant that the 46-year-old might announce a 2020 bid, though O’Rourke has said he wanted to make sure his three children — Ulysses, 12; Molly, 10; and Henry, 8 — were OK with the decision. The former congressman announced late last month that he had decided on the matter, though he declined to announce he was running at the time.
A Vanity Fair profile published Wednesday said that after his November loss, former President Barack Obama asked to speak to him. During that conversation, O’Rourke brought up the possibility of running for president. O’Rourke also says he is “born to be in it” when discussing a presidential run.
O’Rourke is heading to Iowa this week for a multiday tour and if he jumps in will join a crowded field of many candidates, all vying to compete against Trump in the 2020 general election.
