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  • A charismatic former Texas congressman

  • with a penchant for punk rock

  • Can politics be like punk rock?”

  • “I think,

  • I think were proving that right now.”

  • and oversharing online.

  • So, I’m here at the dentist.”

  • Beto O’Rourke

  • is running for president.

  • So, who is he?

  • O’Rourke, full name Robert, but better known as

  • Beto” [repeated]

  • My nickname is Beto.”

  • He grew up near the border in El Paso.

  • His early ambitions? Music.

  • But after a series of bands and career moves,

  • O’Rourke ended up in politics

  • [Spanish]

  • and was elected to Congress in 2012.

  • “I’ll work with anyone, anytime, anywhere as long as

  • it advances the interests of Texas and of this country.”

  • He took on sitting Senator Ted Cruz in 2018.

  • This election is a fundamental choice for the direction of our nation.”

  • O’Rourke crisscrossed Texas, live streaming

  • Hey, everyone.”

  • building a sprawling grass-roots campaign

  • and minting his status as a Democratic darling.

  • It wasn’t enough to win,

  • but the question had already emerged:

  • Can you say definitively that you will not be a candidate

  • for president in 2020?”

  • Will you be running for president?”

  • He took a solo road trip,

  • talked to people, grew a beard and then

  • decided, he’s in.

  • We are making a stand for the truth.”

  • Some of O’Rourke’s priorities?

  • Theyll most likely include universal health care,

  • tighter gun control laws and immigration reform.

  • We don’t need another wall.

  • We don’t need another fence.”

  • Some potential weaknesses? O’Rourke doesn’t

  • have any major legislative accomplishments,

  • and he lost his latest race.

  • And President Trump?

  • And we were all challenged by a young man who

  • lost an election to Ted Cruz.”

  • They recently held dueling rallies in El Paso.

  • We stand for America, and we stand against walls.”

  • Hey, youre supposed to win in order to run.”

  • So, where does he stand?

  • O’Rourke did well in some early polls.

  • But after Democratic midterm wins,

  • often powered by women and people of color,

  • some wonder if a white male nominee is the right

  • fit for the party in 2020.

  • Let’s do it!”

A charismatic former Texas congressman

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