Beto O’Rourke announced officially Thursday morning that he is running for President in 2020.
He released an announcement video from El Paso, in which he sits on a couch and addresses the camera, linking arms with his wife, Amy.
“The challenges that we face right now in the interconnected crises of our economy, our democracy and our climate have never been greater and they will either consume us or afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America,” he said. “In other words, this moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country and everyone inside of it.”
He cites issues he wants to tackle like ending long-term wars and caring for veterans, lifting up rural Americans and fixing the immigration system to make it welcoming and safe.
“This is going to be a positive campaign that seeks to bring out the very best from every single one of us, that seeks to unite a very divided country,” he said. “We saw the power of this in Texas, where people allowed no difference, however great or however small, to stand between them and divide us.
“Over the coming days, I’m going to travel this country and listen to those I seek to serve, to understand, from your perspective, how we can best meet these challenges,” he continued, adding that he’d be back in El Paso on March 30 for an official kickoff event.
“The only way to live up to the promise of America is to give it our all and to give it for all of us,” he concluded. “We are truly now, more than ever, the last great hope of Earth. At this moment of maximum peril and maximum potential, let’s show ourselves and those who will succeed us in this great country, just who we are and what we can do.”
O’Rourke ran a surprisingly competitive campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018 that launched his political star, and has been debating for months since about mounting a presidential run.
Watch his announcement video here:
