Politics

Top Beto O’Rourke Aides Leave Campaign

William Davis Contributor
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Two top aides to former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke are reportedly leaving his presidential campaign.

Becky Bond and her deputy Zack Malitz are leaving the campaign roughly one month after it began, an O’Rourke spokesman confirmed to BuzzFeed on Saturday. (RELATED: Beto O’Rourke Paid His And His Wife’s Company $110,000 In Campaign Funds)

In a statement to BuzzFeed, Bond praised O’Rourke’s campaign and said she was “proud” to work for him.

“Launching a presidential campaign without a big staff or even a campaign manager was no easy feat and it took everyone pitching in,” Bond said. “We’re proud to have been part of the team of deeply dedicated staff and volunteers who nearly pulled off a historic upset in the 2018 Texas Senate race and broke records launching Beto’s campaign for the presidency.”

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential hopeful former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) speaks during a campaign rally on March 30, 2019 in El Paso, Texas.  (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

O’Rourke campaign manager Chris Evans praised Bond and Malitz, saying that they will continue to volunteer for the campaign, according to BuzzFeed. (RELATED: Beto O’Rourke’s Website Contains A Lot Of Merchandise And 0 Policy Positions)

“They were not only instrumental to the historic Texas Senate race but they agreed to help get us off the ground in this monumental undertaking of running a grassroots campaign for president in every part of the country,” Evans said. “Becky and Zack remain close friends of the campaign, and true to form, they have already joined our army of grassroots volunteers who are signing up for shifts and committing to electing Beto president.”

After nearly defeating Ted Cruz in last year’s Texas Senate race, O’Rourke has been considered a front-runner in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. However, his campaign has already faced significant hurdles, including a poll released by Emerson College that showed O’Rourke getting just 8% of the poll.

O’Rourke was also heavily criticized after his tax returns showed that he donated less than 1% of his earnings to charity in 2017. Some have also observed that the 46-year-old O’Rourke has been surpassed as the young star in the race by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Recent polling has shown Buttigieg ahead of O’Rourke, with both polling behind Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet formally entered the race.