The Song-A-Long Bar and Grill in Mount Vernon, Iowa, was one a series of bar- and countertops from which Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has addressed voters recently. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 2020 elections ‘We’ll make sure a space is cleared off for him’: Shop owners brace for Beto’s next counter hop

A 6-foot-4 Texas Democrat running for president walks into a bar.

And he stands on the counter.


As Beto O’Rourke treks cross-country in a rented Dodge Caravan for a flurry of campaign stops, the newest candidate in the presidential primary pool seems to have a favorite way to speak to the crowds rushing to hear him — perched atop a table or counter.

Perhaps flaunting his youthful energy — he’s just 46 — or perhaps simply figuring it’s the best way to address hundreds of people in cafes ill-designed for stump speeches, O’Rourke has developed a habit of hopping onto elevated surfaces at campaign events. He’s stood on restaurant booths and wooden chairs and, despite the March chill in Ohio, a patio table.

But counters seem to be a preferred stage for the former congressman. And the act has caused uproar among those who find it amusing, bizarre or unsanitary.

Hours before O’Rourke was set to visit Tuckerman Brewing Co. in Conway, N.H., on Wednesday, co-owner Kirsten Neves said no one from the campaign had reached out about a makeshift stage for the candidate. But the venue has picnic tables and a well-built bar — “it could probably hold a helicopter” — so Neves didn’t mind the prospect of a spontaneous speech from an elevated surface.

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“We’ll make sure a space is cleared off for him, just in case he decides to jump on anything,” she said.

The brewery doesn’t typically serve food, but if it did it wouldn’t stop O’Rourke. He clambered onto the counter of a coffee house and drinkery in Burlington, Iowa, only after workers had cleared the surface of pumpkin bars and jumbo snickerdoodles, the Des Moines Register reported.

At Consuelo’s Taqueria, the Mexican restaurant set to serve as O’Rourke’s Manchester, N.H., stop Thursday, owner Martin Delgadillo didn’t seem too concerned about campaign-worn shoes dirtying his tabletops. It can all be cleaned, he said.

“If it’s helping him, go for it,” Delgadillo said. “If he wants to dance on there, go for it.”

The trend has been dissected on social media, inspiring memes and parodies, including “Beto Standing on Counters” and “beto on elevated surfaces” Twitter accounts pledging to document O’Rourke’s stances atop assorted furniture as the 2020 campaign trail continues.

Critics of O’Rourke have accused him of ducking the meatier policy questions, arousing suspicion among some that the candidate’s platform lacks specifics. Followers of the saga delighted in the irony on social media as O’Rourke bounced from counter to counter — if O’Rourke’s vague answers make it difficult to know what he stands for, at least they know what he stands on.

O’Rourke made a strong entrance into the race for the White House, raising a staggering $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign. And he had gained credibility as a national contender and deft small-dollar fundraiser during his unexpectedly close Senate race against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz last fall.

Despite his relatively small experience in public office, supporters have flocked to the young Texan, enamored by his charisma and nontraditional background.

“He’s trying to connect with the people,” said Delgadillo, who added he's interested himself to hear what the candidate has to say. “We’ll see what happens.”