Beto O'Rourke, former Representative from Texas and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Public Service Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.

Beto O'Rourke wants you to know he's a presidential candidate.

The former Democratic congressman returned to his hometown of El Paso, Texas, nearly two weeks ago to comfort a community reeling from a shooting at a Walmart that left 22 people dead. Calls have grown for him not to leave the state — and abandon his flagging bid to challenge President Donald Trump in favor of a run against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

On Thursday, O'Rourke made it clear he has his eyes on nothing but the White House in 2020.

"I will not in any scenario run for the United States Senate. I'm running for president, I'm running for this country, I'm taking this fight directly to Donald Trump and that is what I'm exclusively focused on doing right now," O'Rourke told MSNBC on Thursday night.

O'Rourke put himself on the national map last year with a competitive challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. But he has struggled to break into the top tier of the presidential race: he currently polls sixth in an average of national polls of the Democratic primary field. Some Texas Democrats and one of the state's largest newspapers have pushed O'Rourke to try to unseat Cornyn in a state turning a shade bluer.

Democrats have lost several top Senate recruits to the presidential contest as they try to break the GOP's 53-47 hold on the chamber. Control of the Senate will help to determine not only what parts of the next president's agenda will pass, but also who serves on federal courts for decades to come.