The Dallas Morning News: ““I’ve got no plans to run, and I’m very focused on the things that I’m lucky enough to do right now — organizing, registering voters and teaching,” the El Paso Democrat for an upcoming segment on Lone Star Politics on KXAS-TV (Channel 5). “I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing now.”
Many Democrats are counting on O’Rourke, who in 2018 lost to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points, to be the party’s standard bearer against Abbott in 2022. After consulting some elected Democrats, O’Rourke had said he was considering running for governor, but added he would work to elect any Democrat that emerged against Abbott.
But hours later, after a story about O’Rourke’s comments was published, the Democrat told The Dallas Morning News that he had not ruled out a run against Abbott.
“What I said today is what I’ve been saying for months: I’m not currently considering a run for office,” O’Rourke said in a prepared statement. “I’m focused on what I’m doing now (teaching and organizing). Nothing’s changed and nothing I said would preclude me from considering a run in the future.””