AUSTIN, TEXAS — Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman from El Paso, Texas, formally launched his presidential campaign in the Lone Star State — capping a three-city tour in the capital city Saturday night after stumping in his hometown and Houston earlier in the day.

Unlike the other candidates, however, O'Rourke has the luxury of campaigning full time now that he no longer holds elected office. He illustrated that advantage on Saturday, visiting three Texas cities on Saturday while on the stump.

In throwing his hat into the ring as a presidential hopeful for 2020, O'Rourke joins a crowded list of Democratic contenders — Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts among them. O'Rourke also has competition from fellow Texan Julián Castro, who served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama.

A head count wouldn't be available until Sunday, but throngs of people descended on a swath of downtown real estate along 9th and Congress streets to hear the candidate speak. The crowds were enthusiastic as they waited for O'Rourke to arrive, their spirits buoyed with festive Latino music blared through loudspeakers with the stately Capitol building bathed in light serving as backdrop.

O'Rourke covered much ground in conveying his ideas, starting his talk in Austin about women's reproductive rights. He noted that infant mortality rates disproportionately affect women of color in Texas in calling for greater leeway in enabling women, not politicians, decide issues related to their bodies and health.

Fluent in Spanish given an upbringing in predominantly Hispanic El Paso in deep South Texas, O'Rourke has broad appeal among Hispanic voters. Yet his overtures to the powerful voting bloc are also fodder for his critics, who note his privileged background while mocking use of the nickname "Beto" they posit as pandering to Hispanics despite the candidate having been bestowed the name since childhood. Such criticism aside, O'Rourke made the most of that appeal, throwing in some Spanish — to spontaneous cheers from those gathered — after delivering a 30-minute speech in English without the benefit of a TelePrompter.

Prior to O'Rouke's arrival at around 10 p.m., the affair had all the markings of a pachanga — a slang term for a Latino dance party — than political rally, what with old-school Spanish music with a dash of Calle 13 and Selena thrown in for good measure. Austin Mayor Steve Adler made note of the ethnically diverse crowd in addressing the crowd before the presidential candidate arrived, noting how its makeup reflected America as a whole.

A woman and her granddaughter from Austin attended the Beto O'Rourke rally together. The older woman said she likes that the candidate believes in climate change as others deny the science that has detected it.

He covered a wide array of issues in laying out the main planks of his platform, calling for greater deference to woman, not politicians, in determining actions as it relates to reproductive health; advancing the idea of legalizing marijuana and expunging related offenders' conviction records as it relates to minor drug possession that disproportionately targets minorities; pushing the idea of universal care; and vowing to improve pre-K through grade 12 public education; promoting the idea of equal pay for women and paid family leave.

At that, O'Rourke removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to great effect, drawing cheers from the crowd. "It's getting warm here," he said. In actuality, a sudden cold front emerged in Austin on Saturday, with nippy temperatures hovering around the 50-degree mark by the time O'Rourke arrived. The wind was stronger than usual too, whipping enough to prompt people to hold on tight to their "Beto" campaign sings that much more tightly between gusts.

He also called for greater pay for teachers: "And we will not ask teachers and our educators and our social workers and our librarians and our counselors to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet," he said. "They already hae the most important job in front of them, unlocking that lifelong love of learning for every single child."

The state Capitol served as dramatic backdrop to the O'Rourke rally in Austin. Here, Austin Mayor Steve Adler welcomes the crowd ahead of O'Rourke's speech.

Staying on the theme of education, O'Rourke said students should be both college-ready by the time they leave grade school and without having to be saddled with student loan debt in pursuing their education. "And we're gonna continue by making sure that every child who graduates from high school is both college-ready and career-ready," he said. "College-ready for debt-free college in a country that already has way much college debt, and career-ready meaning that we strengthen the power of unions and the ability to enter apprenticeships; to be able to learn trades and skills that will allow us to command jobs that pay a living wage for the course of our life."



O'Rourke also called for enhancing access to capital from the historically marginalized: "Those communities that hae been shut out of capital, of home loans, of the ability to build wealth for generations, eves since the end of Reconstruction," he said. "We're going to prioritize their access to capital so they can get ahead as well."



He made note of the burgeoning prison population in the U.S. in calling for reform, chiefly by reducing penalties for minor drug possession: "And if we truly believe in this country, in justice for all, every single one of us, then we will squarely confront the fact that we have the largest prison population per capita on the face of the planet," he said. "And those who are locked up tonight are disproportionately people of color, far too many there for non violent drug crimes —including possession of marijuana, a substance that is legal in most states of the Union.



"So let's do this: Lets end the federal prohibition of marijuana. Let's expunge the arrest records of every arrest for possession of marijuana; let's end cash bail; lets end for-profit prisons; and lets end the war on drugs that has become a war on people."

The mood was festive, and decidedly Latino-flavored, ahead of Beto O'Rourke's appearance on the stage.

A head count wouldn't be available until Sunday, but throngs of people descended on a swath of downtown real estate along 9th and Congress streets to hear the candidate speak. The crowds were enthusiastic as they waited for O'Rourke to arrive, their spirits buoyed with festive Latino music blared through loudspeakers with the stately Capitol building bathed in light serving as backdrop.

Prior to O'Rouke's arrival at around 10 p.m., the affair had all the markings of a pachanga — a slang term for a Latino dance party — than political rally, what with old-school Spanish music with a dash of Calle 13 and Selena thrown in for good measure. Austin Mayor Steve Adler made note of the ethnically diverse crowd in addressing the crowd before the presidential candidate arrived, noting how its makeup reflected America as a whole.

A rather sizable crowd awaited the arrival of Beto O'Rourke on Saturday night in downtown Austin.

Fluent in Spanish given an upbringing in predominantly Hispanic El Paso in deep South Texas, O'Rourke has broad appeal among Hispanic voters. Yet his overtures to the powerful voting bloc are also fodder for his critics, who note his privileged background while mocking his use of the nickname "Beto" they posit as pandering despite the candidate having been bestowed the name since childhood. Such criticism aside, O'Rourke made the most of that appeal, throwing in some Spanish — to spontaneous cheers from those gathered — after delivering a 20-minute speech in English.

He covered a wide array of issues in laying out the main planks of his platform, calling for greater deference to woman, not politicians, in determining actions as it relates to reproductive health; advancing the idea of legalizing marijuana and expunging related offenders' conviction records as it relates to minor drug possession that disproportionately targets minorities; pushing the idea of universal care; and vowing to improve pre-K through grade 12 public education; promoting the idea of equal pay for women and paid family leave.

People await the arrival of O'Rourke to the stage, entertained in the interim with music both recorded and live.

He also called for greater pay for teachers: "And we will not ask teachers and our educators and our social workers and our librarians and our counselors to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet," he said. "They already hae the most important job in front of them, unlocking that lifelong love of learning for every single child."

At that, O'Rourke removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to great effect, drawing cheers from the crowd. "It's getting warm here," he said. In actuality, a sudden cold front emerged in Austin on Saturday, with nippy temperatures hovering around the 50-degree mark by the time O'Rourke arrived. The wind was stronger than usual too, whipping enough to prompt people to hold on tight to their "Beto" campaign sings that much more tightly between gusts.

Staying on the theme of education, O'Rourke said students should be both college-ready by the time they leave grade school and without having to be saddled with student loan debt in pursuing their education. "And we're gonna continue by making sure that every child who graduates from high school is both college-ready and career-ready," he said. "College-ready for debt-free college in a country that already has way much college debt, and career-ready meaning that we strengthen the power of unions and the ability to enter apprenticeships; to be able to learn trades and skills that will allow us to command jobs that pay a living wage for the course of our life."

O'Rourke also called for enhancing access to capital from the historically marginalized: "Those communities that hae been shut out of capital, of home loans, of the ability to build wealth for generations, eves since the end of Reconstruction," he said. "We're going to prioritize their access to capital so they can get ahead as well."

He made note of the burgeoning prison population in the U.S. in calling for reform, chiefly by reducing penalties for minor drug possession: "And if we truly believe in this country, in justice for all, every single one of us, then we will squarely confront the fact that we have the largest prison population per capita on the face of the planet," he said. "And those who are locked up tonight are disproportionately people of color, far too many there for non violent drug crimes —including possession of marijuana, a substance that is legal in most states of the Union.

"So let's do this: Lets end the federal prohibition of marijuana. Let's expunge the arrest records of every arrest for possession of marijuana; let's end cash bail; lets end for-profit prisons; and lets end the war on drugs that has become a war on people."

While never referring to Donald Trump by name, he was critical of his administration's zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration and the punitive measure of separating migrant mothers from their children as a deterrent for the future diaspora.

"If this country of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees understands that the very soiurce of our strength, our success, and, yes, our our safety and security is that we are a people of the planet who have made this the indispensable nation," he said. "That we will, as soon as we can, make every single Dreamer a U.S. citizen. We will not only honor asylum laws, but we will ensure that we never again take another child from another mother after a 2,000-mile journey in their most desperate and vulnerable moment."

Dreamers is a term given to immigrants who were brought into the U.S. at a young age by their parents. Obama had advanced the idea of making such young immigrants U.S. citizens given that their upbringing in this country. Trump has made thinly veiled threats of ending protection from deportation from the segment.

O'Rourke also touched on the issue of tighter gun regulations, particularly through the use of universal background checks: "If we accept that there is nothing inherently bad or violent about the United States that would lead to more than 30,000 gun deaths a year, then we're going to make sure that we sign into law universal background checks in every single state in the Union, and that those weapons designed, engineered and sold to the United States military for the sole purpose of killing people as effectively and efficiently in as great a number as possible will no longer be sold into our communities, and will stay on the battlefield."

O'Rourke exits the stage after delivering his speech to cheers from the crowd.

In addition to Adler, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa of House District 49 made remarks prior to O'Rourke's speech, Guisppa Di Domenico, a young woman with indigenous Texas roots who is a second-year student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Arabic and political science was chosen to introduce O'Rourke to the crowd.

An unforgettable day across Texas. Our thanks to everyone who joined us in El Paso, Houston, and tonight in Austin. I am excited, honored, and incredibly proud to be doing this with you. pic.twitter.com/lriqQxnVyq

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 31, 2019

The Tiarra Girls composed of Tiffany, Tori and Sophia Baltierra performed the national anthem before the speechifying began. The young woman are three-time Austin Music Award winners and Ann Richards School alumni.



>>> All photos by Tony Cantú/Patch staff

From March 26:

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman from El Paso, Texas, will officially kick off his no-PAC campaign on Saturday night with a stop in Austin, organizers said on Tuesday.

O'Rourke campaign officials released details on his Travis County stop, which will take place at West 9th Street and Congress Avenue — a healthy stone's throw away from the Texas Capitol just two blocks away — on Saturday, March 30, starting at 9 p.m.

"O'Rourke will lay out the priorities of his campaign and his unifying vision for the best way to move America forward," campaign officials wrote in an advisory. The day will begin with a morning rally in El Paso followed by a similar event in Houston, according to an itinerary provided to Patch.

O'Rourke announced his candidacy for President of the United States the morning of Thursday, March 14 via a video to supporters. He then launched a ten-day, cross country road trip to hold town halls in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

While on the stump, O'Rourke personally drove 2,366 miles and held 51 events where he answered 357 questions from voters, campaign officials noted. "Visiting more than 35 counties, he met, engaged with and listened to voters from all walks of life, pledging to take no person for granted and not allowing any community to be written off as he runs a campaign that highlights the great diversity of our nation."

Following him in the campaign trail was an enterprising merchant who has set up tent at each of the candidate's stops to sell Beto-branded merchandise. The day before O'Rourke's Austin rally, he was spotted at a 7-11 parking lot located at Guadalupe Street and MLK Boulevard. Patch stopped by to chat with the entrepreneur:

Along with shirts and buttons, flags with the candidate's name emblazoned on them were being sold at a brisk pace at the makeshift store on Friday.

A potential customer stops to examine Beto merchandise at a pop-up store of sorts at Guadalupe Street and MLK Boulevard on Friday. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

By Friday evening, organizers released an itinerary of O'Rouke's Austin stop, the final leg of a three-city tour that includes his El Paso hometown and Houston:

AUSTIN, 9 p.m. CST

Saturday's events will conclude with a rally under the glow of the iconic Texas State Capitol in Austin. Located at the geographic center of the state, Austin was also a crucial center point for O'Rourke's visit to all 254 Texas counties during his historic run for U.S. Senate in 2018.

Event lineup

National Anthem performed by Tiarra Girls

Tiffany, Tori, and Sophia Baltierra. Three-time Austin Music Award winners and Ann Richards School alumni.

Welcoming remarks delivered by Austin Mayor Steve Adler

Steve Adler became Austin's 52nd Mayor in 2015.

State Representative Gina Hinojosa (HD 49)

Rep. Hinojosa is a civil rights attorney and former president of Austin ISD School Board who currently represents Austin's 49th Congressional District in the Texas House of Representatives.

Introduction of Beto O'Rourke by Guisppa Di Domenico

Guiseppa has indingenous Texas roots and is a second year student at the University of Texas at Austin studying Arabic and Political Science.

Related story: Presidential Hopeful Beto O'Rourke To Campaign In Austin



O'Rourke is considered a viable candidate to unseat Donald Trump, his popularity buoyed when he came within striking distance — less than 4 percentage points — of beating incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Though he lost, the race helped propel other Democrats to victory in last fall's midterm elections, and was significant given the thin margin of victory for Cruz in a state that is largely Republican. Along the way, the race garnered national attention and rose O'Rourke's national profile.

O'Rourke recently made news in announcing his campaign had raised a record-breaking $6.1 million in online contributions during the first 24 hours of his grassroots campaign for president. "Without a dime from PACs, corporations or special interests, he received contributions from every state and territory in the nation," his campaign officials boast in a press advisory.

In addition to the robust war chest, O'Rourke has the further advantage of unfettered campaigning. Unlike other candidates, O'Rourke has the luxury of campaigning full time since he no longer holds political office like other Democratic contenders.

The upcoming rally is free and open to the public. The advisory also served for reporters to stake out spots to cover the event among a few limited spots reserved for media. Patch has signed up to cover the event via the press riser and photography pit that will be made available to media, and will follow up with coverage during Saturday's event.