A week after El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke spoke to TMZ and said he would not rule out a bid for the White House, O’Rourke directly addressed the question during a town hall in his district this week.
According to the Texas Tribune, O’Rourke was asked at an El Paso town hall if he is planning to run for president in 2020, after his U.S. House term expires in early January. O’Rourke told attendees at the event that he is not ruling out a run for the White House, and acknowledged his answer has changed from when he was running for the U.S. Senate.
“Amy and I will think about what we can do next to contribute to the best of our ability to this community,” O’Rourke said.
O’Rourke also told reporters that now that the door has closed on his U.S. Senate bid, he has changed his tune on running for the White House.
“Now that that is no longer possible, we’re thinking through a number of things and Amy and I made a decision not to rule anything out,” O'Rourke said. “The best advice I received from people who’ve run for and won and run for and lost elections like this, is don’t make any decisions about anything until you’ve had some time to hang with your family and just be human. And so I am following that advice.”
Also, on Monday, O’Rourke sent an email to his campaign’s supporters, addressing the migrant caravan controversy, although he did not specifically mention 2020, a presidential bid, or even President Donald Trump’s name.
If O’Rourke decided to join the presidential contest, he could find himself facing a fellow Texan. Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary Julian Castro has been discussing a presidential bid, according to media reports, and has said O’Rourke’s 2020 decision will not affect his considerations on seeking the White House.
