Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke has finally made a decision on whether to be or not to be a presidential candidate — but he’s not saying what he’ll do.
The Hamlet of El Paso said that he’s “excited” to share his plans soon, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday. The announcement comes after weeks of O’Rourke hinting at presidential ambitions in public statements.
Coming Soon
Several sources close to O’Rourke told the Dallas Morning News that he has no plans to challenge Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) next year, and that he will announce a presidential campaign “within weeks.” But O’Rourke was as vague as always in his statement to the paper, which didn’t specify whether he would run.
“[My wife] Amy and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country,” he told the paper. “We are excited to share it with everyone soon.”
O’Rourke’s unconventional, close challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2018 came within just a few percentage points of unseating the long-serving Republican and catapulted O’Rourke to national prominence, building early speculation of a presidential run. O’Rourke previously told reporters that he might challenge Cornyn, but the Wednesday report all but confirms that he has bigger plans.
O’Rourke had previously set a deadline for the end of February to make a decision on 2020. The Wednesday announcement comes after weeks of speculation as O’Rourke played coy about his political future, repeatedly saying that he was trying to decide “how best to serve the country.”
Upon returning from a dramatic post-election road trip to find himself, O’Rourke teased 2020 plans to Oprah Winfrey in February, telling her that he “has been thinking about running for president,” and he kept speculation alive when he publicly rebuked a Trump rally in his home town of El Paso with a rally of his own down the road.
“Walls do not save lives, walls end lives,” O’Rourke told the crowd. The El Paso rally seemed calculated to elevate O’Rourke’s national profile, and the Texas Democrat stood out against potential competitors when he told MSNBC that he would like to tear down existing border walls.
Too Late?
O’Rourke registered high in some early polls of potential Democratic candidates for president, generally trailing only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, but the off-beat progressive candidate has been slow to jump in the race. For weeks after the election, O’Rourke appeared uncertain of his next move, documenting his personal angst in blog posts as he embarked on a journey through the southwest to talk to voters and find his footing, writing that he was “stuck” and “in a funk.”
As O’Rourke brooded on the sidelines, other Democrats were putting together campaign staffers, raising money, and sending their message to the American people — and his polling numbers have suffered for it. A recent poll by The Hill showed him placing fourth among Dems, behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who came in second and third respectively. Both have officially entered the race, while former Vice President Joe Biden, the unofficial frontrunner, has yet to announce his decision.
“It seems like his star was fading,” Tim Hagle, a political scientist at the University of Iowa, told the Dallas Morning News. “That would be because he’s not in the news.”
“I don’t know that O’Rourke has missed his opportunity, but he does need to get in the race,” he added.
It’s still early, so it might not be too late for O’Rourke to pull ahead, but some are skeptical that an inexperienced candidate so dependent on the media for hype has what it takes.
Meanwhile, Beto’s supporters have begun piecing together a grassroots campaign independently, with some forming “Draft Beto” groups to raise money and sign up supporters in early primary states. “Draft Beto” announced a “Beto Alert” Wednesday to “mobilize” supporters with text and email once O’Rourke announces his plans.
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