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Senate candidate Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) pumps his fist for a cheering crowd before departing a campaign rally at the Alamo City Music Hall November 04, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas.

Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 presidential campaign

The Texas Democrat became a national political celebrity during his underdog 2018 Senate run against Ted Cruz.

Contributors: Vox Staff

Beto O’Rourke — the Texas Democrat who came within 2 points of unseating Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms — is running for president in 2020.

After months of will-he-or-won’t-he speculation, O’Rourke announced his presidential bid on March 14. In 2018, he proved that a Democrat could be competitive in deep-red Texas and became a rising star within the party. His supporters began calling on him to make a 2020 run almost immediately after his loss to Cruz.

O’Rourke doesn’t have a singular message or a prescriptive set of policy proposals. But he does have a set of liberal values and a whole lot of charisma. He was able to harness the progressive grassroots energy in 2018 despite actually voting more conservative than the average Democrat in Congress. Depending on whom you ask, O’Rourke’s open-ended approach to politics and policy could be his biggest asset or his biggest vulnerability.

14 Total Updates Since
Mar 14, 2019, 6:23am EDT
  • November 1, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke drops out of the 2020 Democratic primary

    By Sean Collins and Tara Golshan

    "My service to the country will not be as a candidate or as the nominee," O’Rourke said.

  • October 17, 2019

    How Beto O’Rourke became a conservative boogeyman

    By Jane Coaston

    He’s flailing with Democratic primary voters but terrifying conservatives.

  • September 5, 2019

    6 winners and 3 losers from CNN’s climate town hall

    By Umair Irfan, David Roberts, Eliza Barclay, Ella Nilsen, and Tara Golshan

    Winner: Jay Inslee.

  • June 26, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 presidential campaign and policies, explained

    By Matthew Yglesias

    What to know about his presidential campaign, policies, platform, past record, and more.

  • June 12, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke just unveiled a comprehensive proposal to protect LGBTQ people

    By German Lopez

    O’Rourke released the plan during Pride Month, as part of his bid for the presidency.

  • May 31, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke’s immigration plan would go even further on executive power than Trump

    By Dara Lind

    O’Rourke’s presidential campaign proposal: executive actions on "day one."

  • May 28, 2019

    We asked the dads running for president what they do for child care

    By Anna North

    Child care is often framed as women’s responsibility. We asked men instead.

  • May 1, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke now has the most robust climate proposal of any 2020 presidential candidate

    By Umair Irfan

    But some activists think the plan doesn’t go far enough.

  • March 25, 2019

    The 2020 authenticity primary

    By Tara Golshan

    A diverse slate of Democratic presidential candidates challenge what we see as "authentic."

  • March 22, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke standing on countertops, explained

    By Matthew Yglesias

    His leading opponents are really old.

  • March 18, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke’s border cred is genuine. It’s not the same as an immigration platform.

    By Dara Lind

    Beto’s — and Democrats’ — choice: make immigration a policy issue or keep it a vague theme.

  • March 15, 2019

    It is wildly unclear whether Beto O’Rourke supports Medicare-for-all

    By Sarah Kliff

    What does the presidential candidate think about single-payer? An investigation.

  • March 14, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke: here’s why people think a guy who lost can win

    By Tara Golshan

    He’s a charismatic blank slate.

  • March 14, 2019

    Beto O’Rourke, the Texas Democrat who almost unseated Ted Cruz, is running for president

    By Tara Golshan

    O’Rourke is hitting the road to run a "positive campaign" for president.

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