Democrat Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke jumped into the 2020 presidential race Thursday, shaking up the already packed field and pledging to win over voters from across the political spectrum as he tries to translate his sudden celebrity into a formidable White House bid.
The former Texas congressman began his campaign by taking his first ever trip to Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential primary voting. In tiny Burlington, in southeast Iowa, he scaled a counter to be heard during an afternoon stop at a coffee shop.
“Let us not allow our differences to define us as at this moment,” O’Rourke told a whooping crowd of 120, his heels perched at the countertop’s edge. “History calls for us to come together.”
Earlier in the day, O’Rourke popped into a coffee shop in Keokuk while many cable networks aired live coverage. He took questions about his support of federal legalization of marijuana as well as the possibility of a universal basic income, all while characteristically waving his arms and gesticulating fervently.
“I could care less about your party persuasion,” O’Rourke said.
It was the kind of high-energy, off-the-cuff style that made him a sensation in Texas and a monster fundraiser nationwide, but O’Rourke also was clear that he doesn’t believe in strict immigration rules — drawing a distinction that could allow him to clash openly with President Donald Trump on the issue.
Trump took more note of O’Rourke’s gyrations than his policy plans.
“Well, I think he’s got a lot of hand movement,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Is he crazy or is that just how he acts?”
After weeks of gleefully teasing an announcement, O’Rourke now must prove whether his zeal for personal contact with voters will resonate beyond Texas. He hasn’t demonstrated much skill in domestic or foreign policy, and as a white man, he’s entering a field that has been celebrated for its diverse roster of women and people of color.
Asked in Burlington how he’d contrast himself with other presidential hopefuls, O’Rourke said that he wasn’t sure but that he’d never been afraid to work with congressional Republicans. That may not be enough for Democrats anxious to angrily oppose Trump, however, and some other White House candidates draw shaper contrasts.
“The reason why I think I’m the best candidate for the presidency is very different than his,” New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said of O’Rourke on Thursday. “I think we need a leader who’s going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as you’d fight for your own.”
In an email to supporters, California Sen. Kamala Harris noted that a “record number of women and people of color” are running and added that she was looking forward to “substantive debates” with candidates including O’Rourke. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren also sent a fundraising email, saying, “I’m sure you’ve seen” O’Rourke’s launch.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, O’Rourke said he was “just born to be in” the presidential race. Asked about that after a Washington conference, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker noted that he is dedicated to working with “communities that are really being left out and left behind.”
“I’ve got decades of showing people where my heart is, where my dedication is,” Booker said.
Still, he picked up several congressional endorsements on Thursday, as well as the backing of Iowa state Rep. Brian Meyer, who serves as an assistant minority leader in the state House of Representatives.
Until O’Rourke challenged Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year, he was little known outside his hometown of El Paso, on Texas’ border with Mexico. But the Spanish-speaking, 46-year-old former punk rocker used grassroots organizing and social media savvy to mobilize young voters and minorities and get within 3 percentage points of winning in the nation’s largest red state.
While challenging Cruz, O’Rourke insisted that he had no interest in running for president. But during his election night concession speech, he let rip the kind of casual swearing that’s become a trademark, declaring to supporters on national television: “All of you, showing the country how you do this, I’m so f—ing proud of you guys,” and promising, “We’ll see you down the road.”
[WATCH: Trump Holds MAGA Rally in El Paso, Texas; Mocks Beto O’Rourke Holding Counter-Rally Nearby]
In Burlington, O’Rourke distinguished himself from much of the rest of the field by saying he’d be open to remaking the structure of the Supreme Court so that it reflects modern U.S. diversity, even saying he’d be open to justice term limits.
O’Rourke’s record in Congress has drawn criticism from some for being too moderate, but he also spoke at length on Thursday about combating climate change and supporting the Green New Deal, a sweeping environmental plan backed by liberal Democrats.
Alice Davis, a retired teacher from Burlington, said O’Rourke “seems to be kind of a centrist, which I think we need.”
She said, “He’s not too far left, as some people are, and I think he could appeal to a lot of voters.”
Beto O’Rourke has a history of spouting far-left Democrat talking points on immigration:
—Voted against legislation to secure the southern border
—Said he would tear down parts of the wall
—Open to getting rid of ICE
—Would decriminalize border crossings— GOP (@GOP) March 14, 2019
O’Rourke started the race in southeast Iowa, where none of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls have gone so far. Bordering the Mississippi River and featuring unemployment rates exceeding the state and national average, the area traditionally leans Democratic but supported Trump in 2016. Voters there helped elect Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds but also supported Democrat Abby Finenauer of Dubuque, who unseated Republican Rep. Rod Blum.
“These communities have slowly been hollowed out by the failure to transition from the extraction economy to a sustainable one,” said former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who got his political start in the region.
In New Hampshire, home to the nation’s first primary, an O’Rourke adviser asked for guidance on how they might schedule a driving tour through the state. O’Rourke has promised to travel the country listening to voters, then will return to El Paso on March 30 for an official campaign kickoff.
Black-and-white “Beto for Senate” yard signs became staples in places like New York and Los Angeles while O’Rourke was still only running in Texas. And he was the only presidential prospect interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, who appeared genuinely excited last month about the prospect of an O’Rourke White House run.
O’Rourke refused donations from outside political groups and shunned pollsters during his Senate campaign. Nonetheless, his nationwide popularity helped him rake in more than $80 million during the Senate bid.
Beto compares climate change proposals to “those who were on the beaches in Normandy”https://t.co/WWAKvINaIv pic.twitter.com/tFzIJgzrFZ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 14, 2019
Pelosi can’t name a single specific accomplishment for Beto in the Househttps://t.co/vXYKw8024H pic.twitter.com/EYWttQ9pFy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 14, 2019
CNN’s Henderson: O’Rourke was a “backbencher” congressman who “didn’t really do much”https://t.co/I7AagLNaWc pic.twitter.com/Ae1wu3hFLj
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 14, 2019
(AP)
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3 Responses
Way to go Bozo !
I’m a Democrat and I’m thrilled that there is a diverse group of individuals who want to run for the presidency. Campaigning will thin the herd and so will money. Beto and Sen. Sanders are doing well with their nickel and dime donations and will likely be able to sustain their campaigns through to the debates.
Amil Zola is “thrilled that there is a diverse group of individuals”, the group that includes socialist Marxists, self-hating communist HAMAS supporting Jew, fake Cherokee, anti-American radical green deal supporters, virtue signalling hypocrite clowns and Israel and Jews haters. It tells a lot about you.