Beto O'Rourke met with Barack Obama as he ponders a 2020 presidential campaign

Beto O’Rourke met with Barack Obama as he ponders a 2020 presidential campaign
Former Obama aides have encouraged the outgoing Democratic House member to make a White House run. The recent meeting was the first signal that the former president is getting personally involved in talks with the Texas congressman.
by Matt Viser, The Washington Post Dec. 4, 20182 hours ago


Beto O’Rourke, weighing whether to mount a 2020 presidential bid, met recently with Barack Obama at his post-presidency offices in Washington.

The meeting, which was held on Nov. 16 at the former president’s offices in Foggy Bottom, came as former Obama aides have encouraged the Democratic House member to run, seeing him as capable of the same kind of inspirational campaign that caught fire in the 2008 presidential election.

The meeting was the first sign of Obama getting personally involved in conversations with O’Rourke, who despite his November loss in a U.S. Senate race in Texas has triggered more recent discussion and speculation than any other candidate in the burgeoning 2020 field.

TMZ, the Hollywood-based entertainment website, is now trailing O’Rourke; he is being swamped by calls from Democratic operatives eager to work for him, and other campaigns-in-the-making are eyeing his moves closely for any signs of his intentions. O’Rourke said at an El Paso town hall last week that he was considering a run, pending discussions with his family.

His meeting with Obama came amid cross-pressures on O’Rourke to forgo a run for president to mount another bid for U.S. Senate, challenging Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) in 2020.

A spokeswoman for Obama declined to comment on the meeting. O’Rourke’s spokesman also declined to comment. The former president has reportedly met with several potential 2020 candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu. He is in the awkward position of trying to ensure his party wins back the White House, but without weighing in too aggressively in a primary that could consist of his former vice president (Joe Biden), his longtime friend (former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick), and former Cabinet officials (Eric H. Holder Jr., his attorney general, and Julián Castro, his housing secretary).

Obama’s stated mission has been to build a new generation of Democratic leaders, and two weeks ago he said that O’Rourke, who is 46, reminded him of himself. The three-term congressman, he said, was one of the rare politicians who can connect with a wide swath of the electorate in an increasingly siloed country.

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https://www.texastribune.org/2018/12/04/beto-orourke-met-barack-obama-he-ponders-2020-presidential-campaign/