Last updated on February 9th, 2019 at 03:51 pm
Beto O’Rourke told Oprah Winfrey that he is thinking about running for president. When Oprah said he was leaning toward running, O’Rourke didn’t correct her.
MSNBC‘s Stephanie Ruhle tweeted:
And Beto tells @oprah …â€I’ve been thinking about running for President†and the crowd goes WILD#supersoulconvetsations
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— Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) February 5, 2019
Seconded by Matt Viser:
Beto to Oprah: “I have been thinking about running for president.†Huge cheers
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 5, 2019
O’Rourke said that he would decide based on family considerations and by the end of the month:
So the news here: Beto just told Oprah he’s thinking about running for president, says the decision will come down to family
— Molly Hensley-Clancy (@mollyhc) February 5, 2019
Beto O’Rourke tells Oprah he’ll make decision on 2020 “really soon.†“Before the end of this month.â€
— Steve Peoples (@sppeoples) February 5, 2019
Oprah then threw some gas on the fire:
Oprah recasts Beto O’Rourke’s explanation, saying that he is leaning toward running for president. He does not correct her.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 5, 2019
Beto O’Rourke just ran a tough Texas Senate campaign
It is understandable that Beto O’Rourke would like to think about running for president for a while. He just spent nearly two years running an exhausting grassroots campaign across the state of Texas, and what he may have in name recognition will not be a substitute for a presidential race that will be one hundred times more difficult.
Beto O’Rourke will have to woo voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. He will have to compete with dozens of other Democratic primary candidates for donations. Candidates are human beings, not machines, and it takes some time for them to recharge to run again. Beto O’Rourke may run for president, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he didn’t.
Former Rep. O’Rourke has a bright political future. He could even find himself on the Democratic ticket as the VP nominee. Beto has a ton of options, and we will know by the end of the month is running for president is among them.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
