One of the most notable races during the 2018 midterm elections was the Senate race in Texas where Beto O’Rourke faced off with Ted Cruz. O’Rourke was able to convince the deeply red state of Texas that he was worthy of their blue vote and on November 6, he came unbearably close to usurping Cruz. When O’Rourke fell short by 2.6 points, people from across the nation were devastated by the loss. Now, those same people have become hopeful once again and have set their sights on 2020.

O’Rourke is one of the many democratic names that have been tossed around for the presidency. Along with Joe Biden, Sherrod Brown and Hillary Clinton, O’Rourke has become viable for the presidential election. O’Rourke appears to have something that the other candidates lack. He is a fresh face for the U.S., teeming with new ideas and surprisingly liberal viewpoints.

Many of his stances on issues present him as a textbook liberal. He is against the wall, encourages more gun control and is pro-choice. All of these should’ve been turnoffs for Texas voters, but O’Rourke somehow managed to grab the attention and votes of Texans by displaying these views in a civil, nonabrasive and educated way. His approach to these topics was reasonable and fashioned so that even deeply republican Texans found themselves agreeing with them.