Winning the I-4 corridor and Florida will once again be key to winning the White House in 2020. Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke knows that.

‘I don’t know that there’s any one person that’s going to be able to defeat Donald Trump, any one person who’s going to be able to bring this very divided country together again,” he explained after a roundtable at Brew Bus Brewing in Tampa Heights on Monday.

“Whether it’s in Florida, or in Texas, or any part of this country, it’s going to require movement of people,” Calimed O’Rourke.

O’Rourke is one of 25 democratic candidates, after Joe Sestak, a former Navy admiral and

Pennsylvania congressman announced his bid for the presidency. It is the largest pool of candidates to run for the presidency ever.

That’s why O’Rourke met with veterans, military families and advocates Monday to discuss the treatment of our veterans. He expressed his desire to create a federal health care fund that will cover costs for those who serve in future wars by taxing those who don’t. O’Rourke calls this a “war tax.”


"We're going everywhere, listening to everyone, not just giving speeches, but making sure people can contribute to the solutions to the challenges that we face," said O'Rourke.

"That is how you win in Florida, that's how you win in Texas, that's how you win against Donald Trump, and that's how you win for America, when we confront the greatest set of challenges that we have ever faced."

The roundtable brings O'Rourke one step closer to Miami, where the first set of debates will be held this week.

"The only way to build that movement is to go everywhere to ensure that no one is written off, no matter how red their county or their community, or who they voted for president last time," said O'Rourke. "Make sure no one is taken for granted."

O'Rourke and 19 others will take the stage in this week's debates. The five candidates left out did not qualify to appear in the debates this go-around.

The first democratic primary debate is Wednesday. 10 candidates, including O'Rourke, will take the stage. Then on Thursday, there will be another debate featuring 10 other candidates, including former vice president, Joe Biden.

