O’Rourke Rallies Democrats in Dallas

Democratic candidate for governor of Texas Beto O’Rourke attended a convention in Dallas this weekend to address the Texas Democratic party and explain his plans moving forward in the race.

He greeted the members of his party, expressing his gratitude for their support and asking them to keep it going throughout the last months of the campaign until the elections in November to create a real change in Texas.

“Imagine a Governor who instead of attacking teachers, supports them, pays them enough so they don’t have to work a 2nd or 3rd job, just to make ends meet. Imagine a Governor who will fix the grid by winterizing and weatherizing it. By connecting ERCOT to the national grid, by investing in energy efficiency and lowering your utility bills”, he said during his speech.

O’Rourke has a clear mind regarding the next steps during what’s left in the electoral campaign period. In order to beat his adversary, republican and current Governor Greg Abbott, he needs the full support of the Democratic party, but he needs some Republican support as well, in such a traditionally red state like Texas.

He has made it clear that his mission is not to divide the state, or to see all Republicans as adversaries. He wants to unify Texas and be able to appeal to a greater number of the voters and go beyond those who support the blue or the red party. 

“The other party wants to exclude, wants to make people afraid of one another, is trying to find enemies among us,” O’Rourke explained in an interview for The Dallas Morning News. “We’re about bringing people together and inviting everyone in, and we don’t care who you voted for, for president last time. We don’t care about the letter next to your name. We just care about delivering for Texas.”

Even though Greg Abbott is confident in being able to beat O’Rourke, polls have shown that he has slowly been gaining more and more support from voters, being just 4 points behind him in the most recent one. It has become a tighter race, and with the news of him outraising Abbott in their fundraising for their campaigns, there remains a hope that he might win.

The Democratic candidate has also been able to talk about topics that appeal to most Texans beyond their political party. For example, countless polls show that the majority in the state, whether they usually vote red or blue, are in favor of some sort of marijuana legalization, and he has been an advocate for that change since the start of the campaign. Abbott, on the other hand, refuses to change his position.

He expressed in a speech at the Dallas convention that while his conviction remains with the Democratic party, and that what he will do if he is elected is follow the party’s ideals, that he plans to unify Texans and needs to expand his support in order to win.

As many as 12,000 delegates attended the convention, most completely sure to vote for O’Rourke in November. What the candidate will focus on for the next few months is the group of voters who still remain undecided or are independent.

“It means we go to where the voters are and it doesn’t matter how red or blue their county supposedly is,” O’Rourke said for CBS News. “You’re going to see us in Waxahachie. You’re going to see us in Grayson County, you’re going to see us in Bonham. You’re going to see us in Collin and Denton County, two counties rapidly turning blue but not quickly enough if we don’t show up.”