At a hometown rally in El Paso, Texas, Beto O’Rourke made it official. The former Congressman is running for the White House. Politico writes:
“Beto O’Rourke, christening his presidential campaign at a boisterous rally in his hometown, cast himself on Saturday as a crusader against moneyed interests that he said have corrupted America’s democracy and a president he accused of capitalizing on politics of “fear and division.”
O’Rourke characterized the challenges America faced as the “greatest of our lifetime.” If elected, he pledged to sign a new voting rights act, end gerrymandering and have automatic voter registration.
“Whatever our differences — where you live, who you love, to whom you pray, for whom you voted in the last election — let those differences not define us or divide us at this moment. ” – Beto O’Rourke
O’Rourke delivered portions of his speech in Spanish.
Axios reports the Texas political landscape is changing.
- Brendan Steinhouser, a GOP political consultant in Texas, says talk of the state turning blue started back in 2014 when he was Sen. John Cornyn’s campaign manager — and now Republicans need to take it more seriously.
- “Even back then, we knew it was going to get harder and harder as the years went on,” Steinhouser said. “Beto can give the president a run for his money.”
- Jay Aiyer, a Texas Southern University political analyst, said: “If a Democrat can win Texas, then the presidential race is effectively over.”
O’Rourke’s full speech can be viewed here via Bloomberg.