Beto O’Rourke’s headed to Iowa this weekend. He just made the rounds at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin. He's stayed in the headlines with creative, at times unusual, gimmicks like live-streaming his dental appointment and posting soulful blogs from the road.
And ahead of his trip to the state that votes first in the presidential caucus calendar, O’Rourke has launched over 300 Facebook ads touting that he’s made his 2020 decision: "People in communities across the country have been reaching out and asking me if I'm planning on running in 2020. I have made a decision on that. Sign up today to be first to know what's next. I'd like for you to be a part of it."
But amid rampant speculation that the former congressman from Texas turned rock star in the eyes of many Democrats is preparing to launch a White House run is concern that the waiting game is taking its toll on his unique brand. As the deadline for O’Rourke to first make a decision and now announce that decision keeps slipping, it’s led some party pundits to wonder whether the candidate who nearly ousted conservative GOP Sen. Ted Cruz last November may have missed his moment to capture the Democratic nomination.
Timing is everything in politics – think then-Sen. Barack Obama catching lightning in a bottle as he captured the Democratic presidential nomination and eventually the White House in the 2008 election cycle.
Should O’Rourke have jumped into the race in December or January, when ‘Beto mania’ was at a fever pitch?
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05.06.2025