After months of speculation, Beto O’Rourke finally made an announcement that he is running for Governor of Texas. He looks to unseat Greg Abbott in Austin.
In an interview with the Texas Tribune, O'Rourke said:
“I’m running to serve the people of Texas, and I want to make sure that we have a governor that serves everyone, helps to bring this state together to do the really big things before us and get past the small, divisive politics and policies of Greg Abbott. It is time for change.”
In a University of Texas poll, 35 percent had a favorable opinion of O’Rourke compared to 43 percent of Texans giving Abbott a favorable opinion. O’Rourke had a 50 percent unfavorable rating compared to 48 percent disapproval for how Abbott was doing.
This could be a very close race when elections are held about a year from now.
What political experience does O’Rourke bring?
According to Biography, Beto O’Rourke brings years of political experience. He served from on City Council from 2005 to 2011. Then he served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He then ran unsuccessfully for US Senate as he challenged incumbent Ted Cruz. O’Rourke lost a close race by 2.6 points.
You may have also seen the former representative make a run for President in the 2020 presidential campaign.
O’Rourke has been very active campaigning throughout Texas over the years.
While running for president, Texas Monthly wrote O’Rourke moved left politically. His campaign focused on energy, guns, health care, and immigration.
“He doesn’t trust women to make their health care decisions, doesn’t trust police chiefs when they tell him not to sign the permit less carry bill into law, he doesn’t trust voters so he changes the rules of our elections, and he doesn’t trust local communities.”
While running for Senate, O’Rourke broke U.S. Senate fundraising records.
O’Rourke shared his thoughts in a Texas Monthly interview.
"I don’t know how much any candidate is going to have to do to convince the people of Texas that Greg Abbott has failed them as governor. By one report, seven hundred people were killed due to his mismanagement of the power grid. And in the legislative session that followed, he did nothing meaningful to prepare us for the next winter storm or the next test of our electricity grid. His bungled response to COVID has resulted in more than seventy-one thousand Texans dead so far, and counting."
In a video O’Rourke released on Monday morning, he said:
“He doesn’t trust women to make their health care decisions, doesn’t trust police chiefs when they tell him not to sign the permitless carry bill into law, he doesn’t trust voters so he changes the rules of our elections, and he doesn’t trust local communities.”
Here is the full video:
This could be a very close race as O’Rourke runs for governor.
What do you think about Beto O’Rourke running for governor?