FORT MADISON, Ia. — Standing in the middle of a crowded sandwich shop in Fort Madison, Iowa, Thursday afternoon, Beto O'Rourke promised to run an Iowa caucus campaign that goes everywhere and talks to everyone.

"There are communities, because of the partisan color that the pundits give them, that are written off by the other party — places so reliably red that Democrats fear to tread and therefore Republicans don’t have to show up because there's no competition at the end of the day," O'Rourke said. "I want to show up everywhere for everyone."

Lee County is among those in Iowa that voted twice for Democratic President Barack Obama before voting for Republican President Donald Trump in 2016.

It was one of three swing counties O'Rourke visited on his first day of campaigning after formally announcing early Thursday morning he will run for president. In addition to Fort Madison, O'Rourke held events in Keokuk, Burlington and Muscatine in eastern Iowa. He is scheduled to hold similar events Friday and Saturday.

Standing near the center of the room with Iowans packing the tables and chairs surrounding him on all sides, O'Rourke energetically answered questions related to climate change, the news media, Social Security, student debt and whether he has enough experience to be president.

On his experience, O'Rourke acknowledged, "I may not have served forever" in the U.S. House of Representatives — the 46-year-old served three terms — but he said he also has been a small-business owner and served on the El Paso City Council. He spoke about attending local town halls as both a city councilman and a congressman there and the importance of staying accountable to voters.

“It made me a far better representative than I would have been otherwise," he said in Fort Madison. "There was this healthy fear that I felt going into those meetings knowing that I would be held accountable, that I would face those who put me in this position of public trust, and that I would be reminded of who it is I ultimately serve."

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O'Rourke started his day in Keokuk, Iowa, where he called for legalizing recreational marijuana so that fewer people of color are jailed on drug-related offenses.

He said it should be treated the same as cigarettes — marketed as "not cool" — to prevent children from smoking, according to Bloomberg.

“We can free ourselves from the distinction of being the country that imprisons more of its fellow citizens than any other country on the face of the planet,” O’Rourke said. “And guess what? By and large they do not look like this room. They are browner and blacker than most of America.”

In Burlington, O'Rourke arrived to a filled-to-the-brim coffee shop. Workers said the fire marshal required some attendees to leave the Beancounter CoffeeHouse & Drinkery, which had met its building capacity of 150 people.

To be seen over the crowd, O'Rourke hopped on the counter after workers had cleared it of pumpkin bars and jumbo snickerdoodles.

"I don’t think there’s ever been a greater moment in our lifetimes and for this country," he said. "The challenges have never been greater, more severe, more critical or more defining for the future."

O'Rourke took questions on a range of issues, including agricultural tariffs.

"We are right to hold China accountable for its trade practices, for manipulating the system for their gain at our expense," O'Rourke said. "We are wrong, however, to go into a trade war — or any war for that matter — without allies. ... And who will pay the price at the end of the day? It’s the farmer. It’s the producer. It is the rancher."

Responding to a question about U.S. Supreme Court, O'Rourke said he's open to proposals that would add members to the court in an effort to de-politicize the selection process.

"Given the fact that we are at one of the most dysfunctional points in U.S. governmental history, I think it calls upon us to be creative about what some of the solutions are," he said.

He said one option could include allowing Democrats to name five members, Republicans to name another five and allowing the 10 appointed members to select another five. He also said imposing term limits is an option worth considering.

'Amazed at his energy'

Joan Crowe, a 66-year-old retired nurse from Donnellson, said in Fort Madison that she didn't know much about O'Rourke going into the day but thinks "he must be good" if he could nearly beat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in reliably Republican Texas. After the event, she said she left feeling hopeful.

"He's got the energy and he has a lot of things that he's saying that just amaze me how in sync I feel with him," she said. "He said he's against everything Trump believes in, so I think that's going to work for me. I'm just really amazed at his energy. It's like visiting my daughter. I just feel very hopeful."

After the event in Burlington, Lauren Willson, a 17-year-old Burlington resident, invited O'Rourke to talk with her school's politics club.

"We want to come to the high school," he told her, ensuring she had a staff member's card before posing for a selfie with her and a friend. "Thanks for the invitation."

Willson, who said O'Rourke is her favorite Democratic candidate, said she was impressed at the way he spoke about policy.

"Our teacher for government let us know he was going to be here, because we'd been following him since the Senate race," she said. "I think all of the things he's supporting are really important to the country right now."