Beto O'Rourke has rekindled the hopes of Texas Democrats
O'Rourke, who has lost his last two campaigns, has another shot, this time with a bid to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott. But is this another joke?
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke at a campaign stop in Midland, Texas, shortly after his 49-day "Drive for Texas" tour, on Wednesday. Eli Hartman/Odessa American via in AP
MIDLAND, Texas - The buzz around Beta O'Rourke is growing again. The one-time presidential candidate, who is seeking to become Texas' first Democratic governor in more than three decades, cut Republican incumbent Greg Abbott's lead in half. It comes from a historic period of fundraising. According to the campaign count, O'Rourke signed up 79,000 volunteers to make phone calls and knock on doors before Election Day.
But behind every note of renewed optimism is a note of caution. Republicans have long ruled Texas and made deals with Latino voters. Abbott remains a formidable fundraiser in his own right. And O'Rourke has come very close to it before — his 2018 bid to become senator. Ted Cruz became a prospect for the White House - but he failed. At Wednesday night's rally, he entered a packed auditorium with what he sometimes uses as an anthem: Spoon's "The Underdog."
But today's multiple crises and raw political battles — from the state's grid failure in 2021 to the loss of abortion rights and the tragedies of gun violence, most recently in Uvalda — are far-reaching. in Texas. As O'Rourke embarks on a 49-day tour of the state this week, he and his supporters wonder if this year will be different. Beto O'Rourke made plans after winning the Texas gubernatorial primary
"There is no state more important than Texas in determining the future of America," O'Rourke told NBC News in an interview after the tour's second day.
Some confirmation for the course came this week from the governor of California. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat who has cultivated a higher national profile. Newsom placed ads in Texas newspapers promoting his new gun law that would allow citizens to sue those who make or sell illegal guns. The law was modeled after a law signed by Abbott that allowed people to sue abortion providers. O'Rourke's 5,600-mile "Drive for Texas" — derided by Abbott spokesman Mark Miner as "The Driving Texas in the Wrong Direction Tour" — aims to build on the momentum of recent weeks and recruit more volunteers in the fall. The trip began Tuesday night with a mariachi band at a concert hall in the big city of El Paso, O'Rourke's hometown, before continuing through West Texas.
On Wednesday, his Toyota Tundra headed into Donald Trump country, first to tiny Pecos, where some of the dozens on hand took a lunch break to see him. From there to a crowd of more than 400 in mid-sized Midland, the former home of President Bush and the county where Trump defeated President Joe Biden by more than 55 percentage points in 2020.
Beto O'Rourke
Supporters of Beto O'Rourke hold campaign signs as they attend a town hall held during one of the Texas gubernatorial candidate's "Drive for Texas" stops in Midland, Texas, on Wednesday. Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP
After his remarks at each stop, O'Rourke stayed for up to an hour to take pictures — a free publicity strategy aimed at generating buzz on social media.