(C) Texas Tribune
This story was first published on Texas Tribune.org[1]
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The Blast: O'Rourke announces for governor; HD-37 and HD-62 watch
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Date: 2021-11 

BETO O'ROURKE (FINALLY) LAUNCHES BID FOR GOVERNOR

It's official — after months of speculation, Beto O'Rourke has launched his campaign to become the next Texas governor. In an interview with the Trib, O'Rourke said he is running to improve public schools, health care and jobs in Texas and also criticized Gov. Greg Abbott's record, citing the restrictive abortion law and permitless handgun carry. But after losing to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz by 3 points in 2018 and bailing out of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, O'Rourke won't be entering 2022 with a blank slate. He will be carrying considerable political baggage that might hamper his campaign.



O'Rourke told the Trib some of his campaign tactics will be different this go around: He said he will run advertisements drawing a contrast with Abbott — something he avoided until the last minute in his Senate campaign — and use polling to make decisions on where to deploy resources.



Republicans have been quick to push back against the El Paso Democrat, labeling him as a radical leftist. In a press conference for state Rep. Ryan Guillen's party switch, Abbott, who already began running attack ads on O'Rourke in October, labeled his new opponent as a democratic socialist who is "hostile" to the state of Texas. After the announcement, the governor also released attack media that likened O'Rourke to Biden — labeling the former as "Wrong for Texas" and the latter as "Wrong for America."



Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines, who is primarying Abbott from the right, called O'Rourke a "radical leftist" but still called the incumbent a "failed governor." The Republican Governors Association released a statement that said Texas voters have already rejected O'Rourke twice and will do so again.



O'Rourke's campaign will be managed by Nick Rathod, a former Obama White House liaison for state officials. Rathod was the senior political advisor in O'Rourke presidential run. — Andrew Zhang

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