AUSTIN — Beto O'Rourke on Saturday said he was still working on a potential presidential roll-out as he continued to tease his plans for 2020.

"We'll be announcing something soon," the former El Paso congressman said after the premiere of a documentary of his campaign for U.S. Senate called Running With Beto. "I wish I could tell you more."

O'Rourke, who last year lost his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, has opted against challenging Republican incumbent John Cornyn for Senate and will likely run for the Democratic nomination for president.

"I want to make sure I do it the right way and tell everyone at the same time," O'Rourke said. "I got to be on the timeline that works for my family and the country."

A formal announcement could come as early as next week, but O'Rourke has been coy about if and when he'll join the race.

As the audience viewed the documentary, O'Rourke's team reached out to supporters about his pending announcement, signaling that his presidential bid was nearing reality.

"If you're on the edge of your seat about Beto's decision around a potential run for president, you're not alone. ... I wanted to invite you to be the first to hear Beto's big announcement," the email read.

Sure looks like @BetoORourke plans to jump into the #2020 presidential race. Why else bother to drum up excitement and collect emails and cell numbers?



And btw, today's email blast came from https://t.co/uLcUOq1jTH -- not https://t.co/dukswia2jC that he'd been using. pic.twitter.com/EcsU5kCrqQ — Todd J. Gillman (@toddgillman) March 9, 2019

The crowded field of presidential contenders includes a mix of Democrats across the spectrum and from different parts of the country. The El Paso native would join former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, who has been running for president since January.

Some of the Democratic contenders were at Austin's South by Southwest festival this weekend for various town hall meetings, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Castro will be in Austin on Sunday.

On Saturday, O'Rourke, wife Amy and daughter Molly attended the premiere of Running With Beto, a documentary film screened at the festival in Austin.

The film, directed by David Modigliani, chronicles O'Rourke's Senate race against Cruz, the Republican incumbent, through the eyes of his family, staff and three campaign volunteers. It will debut on HBO on May 28.

O'Rourke participated in a brief discussion after the film was aired. He didn't answer a direct question about a possible run for president.

Instead, O'Rourke said he was excited about the number of other new Texas candidates running for office in 2020.

"We got to be a part of this amazing thing in Texas over the last two years, and it continues," he said. "We just want to continue to be a part of it."