Former House Representative Beto O’Rourke announced on Nov. 15 that he will be running in the 2022 Texas governor race.
O’Rourke represented the 16th District of Texas from 2013 to 2019. He competed against Ted Cruz for the senate seat in 2018 and ran for president in 2020 but lost both. On the other hand, no Democrat governor has been elected since 1995 in Texas, while Mr. O’Rourke’s run is giving Democrats hope as his margin of loss in 2018 was historically small while a demographic shift takes place in Texas.
With an earlier guitarist career and his radically progressive ideology, O’Rourke is well-known among young liberals nationwide.
Mr. O’Rourke uploaded a video of his announcement. He starts by accusing Greg Abbott of being responsible for the failing power grids during Texas’ snowstorm last February. Then, he moves on to criticizing the constitutional carry and the Heartbeat Act. His message, just like many other Democrats, embraces the “unity” card.
According to a poll conducted in October, current governor Greg Abbott leads O’Rourke by 46% to 37%, even though Abbott only has an approval rating of 43%.
As of now, no other Democrats have announced a run for Texas governor.
