Beto O’Rourke says he will not make an endorsement in the Democratic primary for Senate, calling U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico “generational talents” who have what it takes to win.
“I believe in the Democratic voters of the state of Texas, who are going to have a real close and personal look at these two phenomenal candidates,” armed with appealing messages, fundraising skills and media presence, O’Rourke told Hearst Newspapers.
Crockett and Talarico square off in the March 3 primary.
Instead of picking a side, O’Rourke said he will focus on his Powered By People political action committee. He said that’s aimed especially at young voters and relies on more personal engagement to boost turnout for the eventual nominee.
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“We’re going to make sure we have enough net new Democratic voters who aren’t just on the rolls, but are engaged, involved, informed and turn out to vote,” O’Rourke said. “That is exactly the kind of thing that I wish was in place when I was running in 2018.”
That’s when the former El Paso congressman lost to GOP Sen. Ted Cruz by 215,000 votes, or 2.6 percentage points.