Report: O’Rourke will not run against Cornyn; could announce White House bid soon
Former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke has made a decision on 2020 is very excited about the announcement coming soon
Citing sources close to O’Rourke, The Dallas Morning News reports the former congressman has decided not to run against John Cornyn, the senior Republican senator in Texas widely expected to win reelection in 2020. O’Rourke will likely announce a White House bid very soon, the newspaper reports.
Chris Evans, a spokesman for O’Rourke, emailed ABC-7 the same statement O’Rourke sent the Dallas newspaper: “Amy (O’Rourke’s wife) and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country. We are excited to share it with everyone soon.”
ABC-7 spoke with O’Rourke at a gun control forum in El Paso Wednesday. O’Rourke said he has no plans to make an announcement the final two days of February. Earlier this month, he said he would make an announcement before the end of the month.
O’Rourke, who emboldened Democrats in perhaps the reddest state in the nation, lost narrowly against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.
On February 11, 2019, the date President Trump held a rally at the El Paso County Coliseum, O’Rourke participated in a “march for truth” and addressed a large crowd in a baseball field across the street from the county coliseum.
O’Rourke and those who participated in the rally said they mobilized to set the record straight after Trump, during his State of the Union Address, said El Paso was once one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. The president further stated the installation of border barriers transformed El Paso into one of the safest cities in the country.
During his speech on February 11, 2019, O’Rourke said El Paso is “one of the safest cities in America – safe not because of walls, but in spite of walls … We are making a stand for the truth.”
That same night, President Trump mocked O’Rourke, insisting the former congressman has “very little going for himself except he’s got a great first name.” Trump also mocked the crowd size at O’Rourke’s rally that night: “That may be the end of his presidential bid.”
