Beto ORourke wants to challenge Republicans extremist policies with governor bid

Former US Representative Beto O’Rourke has announced that he will challenge Republican Greg Abbott for the governorship of Texas in 2022, as he criticized the current administration’s divisive politics.

In a tweet on Monday, O’Rourke â€" the former El Paso congressman, 2018 US Senate nominee, and 2020 Democratic presidential contender â€" said that he was running to make progress on the things that most Texans actually agree on, such as legalizing marijuana and expanding Medicaid. 

Noting a state-wide power crisis in February, O’Rourke said it was time for Texas to have officials that answer the call of the citizens. “Those in positions of public trust have stopped listening, serving and paying attention to the trusting people of Texas,” he stated.

The former congressman claimed that the current governor is focusing on “extremist policies” that divide people and prevent people from working together and focusing on the bigger picture.

“I do believe, very strongly, from listening to people in this state that they’re very unhappy with the direction that [Governor] Greg Abbott has taken Texas,” O’Rourke said in an interview with the Associated Press ahead of his announcement.

Texas is the US’ largest Republican-led state, and was last governed by Democrats in 1995.

O’Rourke became a popular figure as he burst into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, but dropped out of the race some months afterwards. 

Texas’ population has boomed in recent years, driven almost entirely by new Latino and black residents. Both groups are traditionally considered Democrat voters.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

Share this post