Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke announced Thursday that he is entering the crowded Democratic presidential primary, ending weeks of speculation. O’Rourke’s candidacy was propelled by his surprisingly strong, but ultimately unsuccessful, run against Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. “Our democracy has never been under attack like it is now, both from foreign actors like the government of Russia, and then also from within, [with] the highest levels of partisanship that we’ve seen—and a president who is undermining every important democratic institution in this country,” O’Rourke told Texas Monthly in announcing his run. He vowed to mount “the largest grassroots effort in American history, following the largest grassroots effort in Texas history.”
In an introductory video, O’Rourke highlighted health care, immigration, justice reform, and ending “these decades-long wars,” among other things. And “perhaps most importantly of all, because our very existence depends on it, we can unleash the ingenuity and creativity of millions of Americans who want to ensure that we squarely confront the challenge of climate change, before it’s too late.”
O’Rourke vowed a positive campaign, one that “seeks to unite a very divided country.”