The day before he officially announced his presidential candidacy in Texas on Saturday, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign admitted in a fundraising e-mail that the former congressman was “playing catch up to other candidates,” who entered the race weeks or months earlier. O’Rourke—who, unlike most of his Democratic opponents, doesn’t have a day job—had moved at a frenetic pace in the lead-up to his formal launch, criss-crossing eight states, including a road trip through Iowa and a 48-hour blitz of every county in New Hampshire. And his home-state launch over the weekend consisted of not one but three rallies in three cities. Photographer Tamir Kalifa spent the day in Texas to capture O’Rourke’s jam-packed, day-long rollout.

El Paso, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The first of O’Rourke’s formal campaign kickoff rallies was held in his hometown of El Paso, with several thousand supporters in attendance, including vendors selling unofficial buttons on the street (top left). In Texas, where O’Rourke came closer than expected to beating incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz last year, the three-term former congressman is something of a political rockstar among Democrats.

Speaking just under a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, O’Rourke contrasted himself with President Donald Trump on immigration policy, saying he wants to “free every single Dreamer from any fear of deportation,” “bring millions more out of the shadows” and reunite separated families. “We will find security not through walls, not through militarization,” he said.

O'Rourke and his wife, Amy, walked through the terminal at El Paso International Airport, and O’Rourke posed for photos as he waited to board his flight bound for Houston, the second stop on his swing through three Texas cities.

Houston, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

At right, O’Rourke descended an escalator at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. At left, O'Rourke; communications director Chris Evans; Amy O’Rourke; and road manager Cynthia Cano made their way out of the airport and to the next rally.

O’Rourke, sporting a Texas Southern University cap, spoke at the historically black TSU in Houston for the second rally of his three-city kickof. Citing Houston police, the campaign estimated some 10,500 people were in attendance.

Alluding to his reach-every-voter strategy, O’Rourke told the Houston crowd, “We’re going to make sure that we meet every single one of our aspirations, not by half measure, and not by half of the country.”

Austin, 9 p.m.-11 p.m.

When O’Rourke hit the stage at just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday night in Austin, his last rally that day, thousands watched and cheered as he spoke against the backdrop of the Texas State Capitol.

After the whirlwind of three Texas rallies, O’Rourke—who is currently polling fourth behind former Vice President Biden and senators Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris—announced he would return to Iowa this week and promised to campaign in at least 10 counties in four days.