- Beto O'Rourke says he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
- The decision comes after months of questioning whether to run, a road trip, and mostly avoiding media appearances.
- O'Rourke's entrance into the race adds one of the most prolific fundraisers of the past midterm election cycle.
WASHINGTON - Former Democratic Rep. and Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke says he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, Reuters reported on Wednesday evening.
O'Rourke is expected to make an official announcement on Thursday morning, the Texas NBC
While other candidates have jumped into the race on an almost weekly basis, O'Rourke took it slow, going on a solo road trip around parts of the United States and avoiding national media.
Earlier in the week, INSIDER reported O'Rourke began running paid Facebook ads promoting his campaign website and noting that he had made a decision.
"People in communities across the country have been reaching out and asking me if I'm planning on running in 2020," the ads read. "Amy and I have made a decision on that. Sign up today to be first to know what's next. I'd like for you to be a part of it."
Before announcing his run, O'Rourke drew national attention for a large rally and march through the streets of El Paso. The demonstration occured at the same time President Donald Trump held a campaign-style rally across town.
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Trump had been rallying his supporters to back construction of a border wall, which culminated in the announcement of a national emergency declaration to divert military funds for physical barriers along the border. But O'Rourke's rally demonstrated that he can still whip up an enthusiastic crowd and lead supporters for a particular cause.
O'Rourke's entrance into the race adds one of the most prolific fundraisers into an increasingly crowded field of candidates. During his unsuccessful 2018 Senate campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Ted Cruz, O'Rourke amassed nearly $40 million in donations in a single quarter and refused money from corporate PACs.
Shortly after the 2018 election, O'Rourke did not fade from public view, as Democratic groups invited him to visit Iowa and New Hampshire, as is customary for potential presidential candidates.
From 2013-2019, O'Rourke represented Texas' 16th congressional district, which contains the city of El Paso. While in Congress, O'Rourke was a member of the New Democrat Coalition, which serves as a working group for more moderate members of the House Democratic Caucus. O'Rourke also served on the Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services committees.
But O'Rourke has also drawn a harsher tone when discussing Trump, calling for his impeachment in the wake of the 2018 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.
"Standing on stage in another country with the leader of another country who wants to and has sought to undermine this country, and to side with him over the United States - if I were asked to vote on this I would vote to impeach the president," O'Rourke told the Dallas Morning News.
He later backtracked the comments, saying that first Congress should "allow the Bob Mueller investigation to follow its course, and allow him to find the facts wherever they lead, as high up as they go."
"On the issue of impeachment, I've never called for it, and you've seen us, I've never led a town hall with it," he said. "I'm not on the resolution calling for the president's impeachment."