El PASO — In his first public appearance since losing his U.S. Senate bid, Rep. Beto O'Rourke did not rule out a presidential run in 2020, saying anything is possible.

Asked about his future Monday during a town hall meeting in his hometown of El Paso, O'Rourke told a gathering of more than 200 people that, for now, he's focused on his family and representing his district until his last day in office on January 3. After that, he said, "Amy and I will think about what we can do next to contribute to the best of our ability to this community."

His wife, Amy, and his mother Melissa sat next to him. "Amy, was that OK?" O'Rourke asked amid a nervous laughter and applause from the crowd.

Since the November 6 election, supporters have been looking for any sign of what O'Rourke might do next.

He raised more than $70 million in his failed bid against his Republican rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, but he came closer to beating the incumbent that many pundits had predicted. Along the way, he sparked speculation about a 2020 run for the presidency, capturing the imagination of many in his Democratic Party, including from supporters who extend far beyond Texas.

Even as he lost his Senate race, he was catapulted high onto the list of potential contenders for the presidency.

Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, speaks Monday at a town-hall style gathering in his home town, where he began to publicly shift away from his vow not to run for President of the United States. (Staff Photo / Alfredo Corchado)

"I would love to see him run," said Veronica Escobar, elected to succeed O'Rourke, a longtime friend and confidant, in Congress. "I do think he needs to have some serious family time. But my fear is the way things are going no one can wait too long because the presidential campaign began after election day in November. He can't wait too long. This is his moment."

The former El Paso County judge, a Democrat, said a "divided country is hungry for unity, for hope for compassion, for heart and Beto represents that. He's not about tearing people down. He's not about fueling divisions. He's about finding a path beyond that, about building a more hopeful, optimistic future, and about having a difficult conversation about race, climate change, about immigration. The country is ready for someone at the top to resolve problems, not create them."

In a question and answer session with reporters, O'Rourke acknowledged he had once ruled out running for president, but said at the time he was focused on his race against Cruz.

"Although we didn't win, which was bitterly disappointing, we did something really powerful," he said, referring to the high voter turnout, and proving he had political coattails in helping other Democrats win in red state Texas.

"Anything is possible," he said. "We'll see."

If O'Rourke does run, he will enter a crowded field of Democrats already hinting of a possible run against President Donald Trump. They include former Vice President Joe Biden, Senators Sherrod Brown, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

During his town hall, O'Rourke flashed signs of a national campaign platform, taking aim at Trump's stance on refugees along the border, which includes demanding that Mexico deport Central Americans who want to seek asylum in the U.S., or keep them until their asylum claims are considered.

In taking on Trump, O'Rourke seemed to be challenging himself, a native of the border, to provide answers to a polarized country.

"This one is on all of us, the way we choose to respond," he said. "To give in to paranoia and the hype and the fear and that [expletive] that characterizes so much of the national conversation about something we understand better than anyone else right now. Or for us to stand up and to lead on this issue."

O'Rourke said he will return to Washington on Tuesday even as Trump threatens to shut down part of the government if funding for his long-promised border wall isn't included in the next round of spending proposals, which need to be passed in early December.

"The president really seems intent upon shutting down the government," O"Rourke said. "I read some of the reporting today (and) members of Congress from both parties, all of them say the last thing we want is a shutdown."