Monterey County supervisor joins Draft Beto as state Latino outreach director

Beto O'Rourke has already found a campaign stronghold in Salinas for a 2020 presidential bid he has yet to announce.

After O'Rourke narrowly lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the 2018 midterm elections, Democratic political operatives started organizing "Draft Beto," a campaign made up of volunteers that want the Texas Democrat to run.

They apparently have no communication with O'Rourke, either.

In January, Draft Beto began hiring staff in California, Nevada and other early primary states, according to the Associated Press.

A Monterey County supervisor and an academic are among those to help start building this political apparatus in California, where an earlier presidential primary gives the Golden State – and arguably, Latinos – more sway in national politics. They say the campaign will be ready for him should he start running for president.

More: Election results in Monterey County reflect growing Latino voter motivation

"For me, that's a good, healthy signal that, even when the candidate hasn't declared in a big state like California, it's going to matter much more next year in the presidential election," said Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo. "There's already a groundswell of supporters and organizers that are getting behind him."

Following reports by Politico and a vague reference in The Atlantic, Alejo confirmed his position as Draft Beto's state Latino outreach director this week.

Alejo said he had contacted the campaign's California and Nevada director Michael Soneff.

The former state Assemblyman once headed the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He recently chaired a group for California Latino county supervisors as well.

"I took this position because I think Beto O'Rourke has the best chance for beating Donald Trump," Alejo said. "The day that he declares he's a candidate, I think he will excite hard-working Americans all across our country."

More: Supervisor Simón Salinas' retirement signals legacy of Latino politics in Monterey County

Both California and Texas have higher shares of Latino voters, though the group as a whole has been known for low turnout in elections. Approximately 30 percent of Latinos nationwide voted Republican in the midterm elections, according to the Pew Research Center.

In the heavily nationalized Senate race, O'Rourke lost by just a three-point margin in the once-considered solidly Republican state of Texas. Alejo said that result shows the infrastructure and support is there to do well nationally.

O'Rourke supporters also point to a November Politico/Morning Consult Poll placing him third among potential Democratic presidential candidates. He trailed only former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Iowa caucusgoers, likely the first to decide in the primaries, had a similar view, according to a December Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Still, Alejo is excited to have a diverse array of Democratic candidates. So far this includes Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., former Obama cabinet secretary Julian Castro, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, Sen. Kirsten Gillebrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., among others.

Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez, a visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley originally from Salinas, is heading Draft Beto's Silicon Valley efforts. He is organizing house parties and other grassroots efforts to get people involved.

More: Gavin Newsom's Blue Bus Tour rolls into Salinas to stump for Democrats

Ornelas Rodriguez said O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso is similar to Salinas. Both have predominantly Latino populations.

"This is a candidate who I feel really represents our community – especially the immigrant community, the Latino community," he said. "But beyond that, whatever ethnic group you come from, this is a person who understands the working class.”

With prior experience as communications director on Alejo's Assembly campaign and a staffer for former Monterey County supervisor Simon Salinas' first Assembly run, Ornelas Rodriguez has also volunteered for Hillary Clinton in 2008 as well as both of former President Barack Obama's campaigns.

Alejo himself is up for reelection in 2020, and the early primary in March instead of June significantly changes political dynamics in the state.

"I'm going to have to start hitting streets in October," he said. "Any presidential candidate is going to have to start outreach to California later this year, not in the spring of 2020 but perhaps in the summer and fall."