Beto O’Rourke is considering making a gubernatorial run in his home state of Texas, according to a new report from The Associated Press.
O’Rourke, a former Democratic Texas representative who tried to unseat Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 before launching a failed 2020 presidential campaign, could be returning to the limelight by running for Texas governor. One of O’Rourke’s top aides told the AP that while O’Rourke has not taken any formal steps in forming a campaign, the former congressman has not ruled out a 2022 gubernatorial bid.
Former Texas congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is weighing a run for governor. But O’Rourke, who teased an announcement of his White House bid on Vanity Fair’s cover, is being quiet about it, and Texas Democrats are anxious to know. https://t.co/WB85h2FlDG
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) May 24, 2021
If O’Rourke were to run, this would be his third election cycle as a candidate in a row, the AP noted.
Top Democrats in the state are seeking answers from O’Rourke on his political ambitions.
“Impatience is not the word for it,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa told the AP. “But anxious is.”
The 2020 election for Democrats in Texas was a disappointment despite President Joe Biden’s win overall. Democrats believed they stood a chance at flipping the state House, but wound up not gaining a single seat. O’Rourke was among those that worked to flip the Texas House with state Democrats, according to the AP.
Hinojosa said he spoke to O’Rourke about a possible gubernatorial run.
“I told him that I thought that we needed a strong candidate for governor and he certainly fit that mold,” Hinojosa claimed to tell O’Rourke in the AP report. “In my opinion, if anybody could beat Abbott, he could beat him,” Hinojosa said, according to the AP.
Hinojosa also said that he’s hoping O’Rourke will make a decision in short order, as other Democrats across the state are weighing their own electoral prospects, and a prominent name like O’Rourke’s at the top of the ticket for Democrats could provide a boost, the AP noted. However, the gubernatorial race could be further complicated if a political outsider like actor Matthew McConaughey joined the race, as reports have suggested he is considering.