Thursday, March 14, 2019

Beto O'Rourke makes 2020 White House bid official with wee-hours announcement


By Paul Steinhauser | Fox News


Beto's in for 2020.

Three-term Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, noted for his Bobby Kennedy resemblance, Jack Kerouac-style road trips, stream-of-consciousness ramblings and an oh-so-close bid to topple Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last year, ended months of speculation by announcing a White House bid in a video he sent to supporters sometime in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

"Amy and I are happy to share with you that I’m running to serve you as the next president of the United States of America," O'Rourke said. "This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us. The challenges we face right now, the interconnected crises in our democracy and our climate, have never been greater.”

The congressman from El Paso grabbed national attention last summer and autumn, as he challenged Republican Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections. O’Rourke raked in an eye-popping $80 million during his campaign, thanks in part to his uplifting message and his mastery of social media.

He quickly became a Democratic rock star. And like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, another darling of the party’s progressive base, O’Rourke quickly reached celebrity status, being referenced only by his first name.

O’Rourke narrowly lost to Cruz -- by just more than 200,000 votes out of more than 8 million cast. After his better-than-expected performance against the GOP incumbent, there were immediate calls by some Democrats for O’Rourke to run for president.

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“It’s telling that the Democrats’ biggest star is someone whose biggest accomplishment is losing. Beto O’Rourke failed to get anything done in Congress, and with extreme policies like government-run health care and tearing down border barriers, his 2020 bid won’t be successful either.” – RNC Communications Director Michael Ahrens

Here’s just some of what you need to know about O’Rourke: