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Vanity Fair Cover Model Robert Francis O'Rourke Still Thinks He Has a Political Future in Texas

Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown  |  September 19, 2021 1:35 PM

As Axios reported Sunday morning, there are increasing indications that former U.S. Representative Robert Francis O'Rourke, sometimes called "Beto," is planning to give the whole politics thing another try after flaming out in his run for President during the 2020 Democratic primary that peaked with his appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair.

This time, though, he's setting his sights on the governor's office, seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Greg Abbott in 2022 amid what Democrats think is a shift that could turn the red state blue. The chair of the Texas Democratic Party told Axios that O'Rourke is their "strongest candidate" to replace Abbott. "We think he can beat Abbott, because he’s vulnerable," Gilberto Hinojosa said. As Axios breaks things down, "O'Rourke's entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate with a national fundraising network to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott — and give O’Rourke, a former three-term congressman from El Paso and 2020 presidential candidate and voting rights activist, a path to a political comeback."

The 2022 cycle, though, looks to be a tough one for Democrats, especially in a state like Texas. So while Democrats think they can make a campaign issue out of Texas Republican efforts to pass election integrity measures and laws to protect the unborn, the state also has a front-row seat to President Biden's border crisis. Democrats running in 2022 will also face an electorate invigorated to register their disapproval of President Biden through the midterm referendum on the Democrat-controlled Congress that's sure to boost GOP turnout. 

And who could forget O'Rourke's most notable 2020 debate performance wherein he declared himself to be a gun confiscation enthusiast, something that will be hard to explain to residents of a state with more than 700,000 registered firearms — the most of any in America. 

Despite losing in his last statewide race — against Republican Ted Cruz for Senate in 2018 — by more than 200,000 votes, "Beto" has been reaching out to campaign veterans and key Democrats in Texas to plot his comeback. According to Axios, "O’Rourke has been calling political allies to solicit their advice, leaving them with the impression that he’s made his decision to run in the country’s second largest state."

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Former opponent Cruz had some thoughts on Beto's apparently imminent return to Texas politics:

Officially, "Beto" and those in his orbit are playing coy ahead of what's expected to be a campaign announcement later in 2021. "'No decision has been made,' said David Wysong, O'Rourke's former House chief of staff and a longtime adviser. 'He has been making and receiving calls with people from all over the state.'"

The reporting from Axios backs up an Associated Press report in May that said O'Rourke was mulling a run against Abbott in 2022.