Beto O’Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022

Authored by axios.com and submitted by reportbywilson

🚨 1 big thing — Scoop: Beto plans comeback run

Beto O'Rourke at the Texas Capitol in Austin in July. Photo: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022, with an announcement expected later this year, Texas political operatives tell Axios' Hans Nichols.

Why it matters: O'Rourke's entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate with a national fundraising network to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. And it gives O’Rourke, a former three-term congressman from El Paso and 2020 presidential candidate and voting rights activist, a path to a political comeback.

State of play: Immigration is surging at the Southern border. Democrats at the national level are bracing for a brutal midterm election — and potentially losing the House of Representatives in 2022.

A new poll for The Dallas Morning News shows O'Rourke narrowing the gap with Abbott in a hypothetical matchup: Abbott 42, Beto, 37. In July, O'Rourke faced a 12-point deficit, 45-33.

Behind the scenes: O’Rourke has been calling political allies to solicit advice, leaving them with the impression that he’s made his decision.

"No decision has been made," said David Wysong, O'Rourke's former House chief of staff and a longtime adviser. "He has been making and receiving calls with people from all over the state."

_awacz_ on September 19th, 2021 at 18:19 UTC »

I really like Beto, but unfortunately I think he made a political career fatal mistake with that "we ARE coming for your guns" statement. I know it was an off the hip comment and it shouldn't define him, but they will play that in clips over and over and the gun issue is a trigger point for suburban folks, especially Texas. I truly hope I'm wrong, but I just see this as what the fascists on the right will do to win (and it will probably be effective if he does run).

SignificantTrout on September 19th, 2021 at 15:59 UTC »

I hope he enjoys the hell yes we'll take your guns clip, he's going to see it an awful lot. Serious question: is there no other potential Democratic candidate for governor?

ILovePresDonaldTrump on September 19th, 2021 at 15:56 UTC »

Good luck to Beto.

Let's see what he does to mobilize the Hispanic vote. He did not have enough luck with that the last time around.

Maybe he is inspired by Abe Lincoln. Keep trying and one day you win. Then you can write your own chapter of history.