O’Rourke’s punk rock roots influence grass-roots campaign The do-it-yourself ethic learned back then has carried into his campaign today

Beto O'Rourke, US Representative from El Paso, stopped in Midland on his campaign for US Senate, April 7, 2018, at the MLK Center. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram Beto O'Rourke, US Representative from El Paso, stopped in Midland on his campaign for US Senate, April 7, 2018, at the MLK Center. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram Photo: James Durbin Buy photo Photo: James Durbin Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close O’Rourke’s punk rock roots influence grass-roots campaign 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

U.S. Senate hopeful Beto O’Rourke drove his red Dodge Caravan into Midland on Saturday morning to rally support as he embarks on a do-it-yourself, grass-roots campaign across all of Texas’ 254 counties.

The Democrat is traveling the state with a small crew and faced a packed crowd at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, which saw more than 250 people in attendance. His opponent, Ted Cruz, last week drew about 80 people to Discovery Operating headquarters during the senator’s Midland campaign stop.

O’Rourke recently announced he had raised $6.7 million in the first quarter, more than the sitting senator.

“Yesterday, my Democratic opponent announced that in the first quarter of this year he had raised $6.7 million, which is the most money raised by any Senate candidate in the entire country,” Cruz said at his event. “You’re seeing liberals all over the country — in Hollywood, on the east coast and even some places in Texas — they’re having dreams of turning Texas bright blue. They’re putting in a lot of money.”

O’Rourke said Saturday that he had raised the money from 141,000 unique contributions, none of which came from political action committees or corporations — “Just the people of Texas.”

“No one will ever have to wonder who it is I represent,” he added.

Running against the incumbent, however, will be a challenge.

“It’s only going to be possible if everyone in Texas makes it so,” O’Rourke said. “Going to all 254 counties, having multiple town hall meetings in Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, Roscoe and Sweetwater. Every single person is deserving of being heard, listened to and fought for. Together, we can make something that otherwise would be impossible happen.”

His campaign is a grass-roots effort that has reached down the very grass upon which he’s trying to root out votes. The U.S. representative from El Paso told the Reporter-Telegram on Wednesday that most of his team had pitched tents and camped outside after an event in Amarillo the night before. One member of his small crew opted to sleep in the van because they wanted to stay away from the “creepy crawlies” on the ground.

His campaign strategy reflects his punk rock roots. O’Rourke toured the U.S. and Canada with his band Foss in the early 1990s, and the do-it-yourself ethic learned back then has carried into his campaign today.

“Driving this Dodge Caravan across Texas, it’s just us driving ourselves,” he said after Saturday’s event. “There’s no private jet, no consultant, no pollster saying this is the message you have to say to this group or that. We allow people to drive the conversation, and it’s very much like the do-it-yourself effort in rock and roll music. Bands writing their own songs, putting out their own records, starting their own labels, saying what’s on their mind and listening to others who want to do the same.”

O’Rourke likened DIY efforts to democracy itself.

“When you’re doing it right, that’s what democracy is like: Not allowing any interference between the person who seeks to represent the community and the community who will be represented,” he said. “In that town hall (Saturday), you saw people could ask any question and make any suggestion — and they did. That reminds me of traveling the country in a van with a bunch of bandmates making music and sharing our story with people who showed up when we were doing that 25-plus years ago.