8 things to know about Beto O’Rourke, Democratic challenger hoping to unseat Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

AUSTIN – As Beto O’Rourke enters the race for Republican Governor Greg Abbott, the former El Paso Democratic Congressman will draw on his previous campaign experience.

Texas voters nearly gave O’Rourke a victory in his 2018 national race against Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

O’Rourke has energized the Democrats this year and raised record amounts of cash in the process – but his 2020 presidential bid was short-lived.

Here are eight things you should know about the Democratic challenger for governorship.

‘Bi-Car Tisanship’ has put him in the spotlight

O’Rourke became famous when he shared a 25-hour drive to Washington, DC, with former GOP rep Will Hurd in 2017 after the couple was stranded in snowy weather in Texas.

Her road trip in a Chevy Impala, streaming live marathon conversation on topics like health policy and junk food, drew national attention for projecting courtesy across the aisle.

“At a time when so many people are wondering whether our institutions are still working, whether Congressmen still listen to the people they represent, whether a Republican and a Democrat can get along and work together, I thought, let’s try that Prove concept, ”said O’Rourke at the time.

He previously ran – and lost – a national race

This is O’Rourke’s second move to the Texas state office. In 2018, he narrowly lost his offer to remove incumbent US Senator Ted Cruz, which squeezed Democratic voters, but ultimately fell below 2.6 percentage points.

He also made a brief candidacy for 2020, which seemed to see his positions shift further to the left.

Analysts and Democrats say O’Rourke will have to revise his second statewide act to evict Abbott, a seasoned political activist. The incumbent has described O’Rourke as out of touch with most of the Texans.

“No matter how hard he tries to reinvent himself, he will not be able to run away from the fact that he comes from the most liberal, extreme section of the Democratic Party,” said Abbott campaign spokesman Mark Miner earlier this month.

Where did he get his nickname from?

O’Rourke’s politician father once explained why he nicknamed his son Beto: With nicknames common in Mexico and along the border, the odds of getting elected in El Paso with a name like Beto were greater than Robert Francis. It was also a way of distinguishing him from his maternal grandfather.

Rivals like Cruz have teased O’Rourke’s nicknames – only to be reprimanded by many who pointed out that Cruz’s full name is Rafael Eduardo Cruz.

Criss-cross Texas in 2018

In his 2018 race against Cruz, O’Rourke visited all of Texas’ 254 counties.

“I really wanted to get to know the people I want to represent. And I can’t think of a better way than to show up and be there, ”O’Rourke said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News at the time.

The Cruz campaign dismissed O’Rourke’s 254 country goal as little more than hype.

“Our campaign is not based on an arbitrary travel data point like our opponent’s, but on a vision and message that we believe the Texans want and want to see from their leaders,” said a Cruz spokesman at the time.

His “hell yes” promise to use assault rifles

“Damn it, we’ll take your AR-15, your AK-47,” said O’Rourke a few weeks after an armed man killed 23 people in a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso.

The National Rifle Association later named O’Rourke the “AR-15 Seller of the Month”.

His comments are likely to cast a shadow over the Texas governor’s race as gun rights advocates say voters will not forget this moment of his failed 2020 presidential run. Governor Greg Abbott introduced O’Rourke’s “hell yes” in a recent campaign video.

“It will be with him for the rest of his life,” Andi Turner, legislative director of the Texas State Rifle Association, said last month. “Texans who believe in the Constitution and the Second Amendment will not tolerate the confiscation of arms by law-abiding citizens.”

Allies have dismissed this premise.

“The people who listen to this and automatically say that I will never vote for Beto O’Rourke would never vote for Beto O’Rourke,” said US MP Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from San Antonio.

El Paso roots

O’Rourke has said he is thriving on El Paso’s underdog spirit.

“I realized I wasn’t a New Yorker. I’m a Texan, an El Pasoan, ”recalled O’Rourke in 2018, referring to his earlier days in New York City. “I think everyone is counting El Paso out, and that’s a great thing. I love it because they don’t see us coming. “

Growing up in an upper-class lifestyle in the city’s multicultural community, he believes El Paso’s unique coexistence with Mexico is hope, not fear.

“El Paso embodies this fear that this country will get browner, more immigrants,” he said. “The fear of the rest of the world that we would literally shield it. El Paso is the best answer to all of that. “

Break records in fundraising

O’Rourke raised a total of $ 80 million for his highly competitive campaign against Cruz, including a staggering $ 38.1 million in three months.

When Democrats in Texas and across the country showered him with donations, O’Rourke’s loot broke previous records for a contest in the US Senate, and dramatically surpassed Cruz.

In 2018, the Cruz-O’Rourke competition was the most expensive in the nation.

Arrested for drunk driving

Opponents have focused on personal mistakes from O’Rourke’s past, including two arrests in the 1990s for burglary and drunk driving.

O’Rourke said the burglary’s arrest came after he raised an alarm while jumping over a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso. The charges were dismissed. After being charged with drunk driving, he completed a misdemeanor diversion program that was also dismissed.

“There’s no apology and I can’t say anything except that I was very stupid of myself and I showed really bad judgment, bad judgment,” said O’Rourke. “It was something I did and I hope that in these 20 years I have been able to contribute to this community. But there is no excuse for that. “

[ad_1]