Latest news with #O'Rourke
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Beto O'Rourke weighing up Senate run after three election defeats as he calls on Dems to be ‘ruthless'
Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke is still weighing up whether to enter his state's 2026 Senate race amid incumbent Sen. John Cornyn's bruising primary battle, as he called on the Democrats to be 'ruthless' when it comes to redistricting battles. O'Rourke (D-Texas), who's lost three contests since he last won a mayoral election in 2016, kept the door open to a possible run despite former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) already tossing his hat in the ring. 'I don't know. Right now, I'm holding these town halls all over the state of Texas, across the country to listen to people to bring them together and to channel our anger into action,' O'Rourke told CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday. Advertisement 3 Beto O'Rourke hasn't won elected office in nearly a decade. Michael Cuviello / Amarillo Globe-News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'But I'm very optimistic about Democrats' opportunity in 2026.' The Lone Star State Democrat, who served in Congress from 2013 to 2019, was thrust into the national spotlight after his fiercely competitive race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2018. Advertisement O'Rourke lost to Cruz by about 2.5 percentage points during the blue wave year in the deeply red state. 3 Sen. John Cornyn is facing a tough primary during his reelection bid. AFP via Getty Images From there, he ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nod, before dropping out prior to votes being cast. Then he challenged incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in 2022, but was crushed by double digits. Notably, in 2020, O'Rourke declined to challenge Cornyn (R-Texas) and opted for his unsuccessful presidential bid instead. Advertisement Cornyn is facing a brutal primary from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been mired in various controversies but has been topping him in most recent polling. Cruz is staying neutral. This has given Democrats hope that Texas could emerge as a dark horse pick-up opportunity, because Paxton is generally perceived as less formidable than Cornyn in a general election. Allred, who lost to Cruz by 8.5 percentage points in 2024, has fashioned himself a moderate Democrat. But many analysts believe 2026 could prove to be a blue wave year, due to historical trends. O'Rourke called on Dems to become 'ruthless' heading into the 2026 election cycle. Advertisement 3 Colin Allred is hoping to flip Sen. John Cornyn's seat. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post 'We have to get serious. We have to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power,' the former congressman said. O'Rourke railed against Texas Republicans eyeing potential redistricting tweaks to tip the state's congressional maps further in the GOP's favor and urged Democratic-controlled states to follow suit. 'Wherever we have the trifecta of power, we have to use that to its absolute extent. And then the last thing, this may end up biting Republicans in the a–,' he added. 'You have the possibility that they will disperse Republican voters to make up these three or four or five new congressional districts and put those districts in play.'
Politico
3 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
O'Rourke says Texas redistricting could ultimately help Democrats
'This may end up biting Republicans in the ass. You have the possibility that they will disperse Republican voters to make up these 3 or 4 or 5 new congressional districts and put those districts in play,' O'Rourke told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.' 'So in Texas, we've got to get out there and register and meet the voters who are going to decide the outcomes in these next elections.' And O'Rourke, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020 and then lost to Abbott in the 2022 Texas governor race, wants Democrats to go on offense by launching gerrymandering campaigns of their own in blue states. And in California Gov. Gavin Newsom, O'Rourke may have an ally. Newsom in recent weeks has floated redistricting from Sacramento — potentially circumventing the state's nonpartisan redistricting commission — if Texas Republicans move forward. 'We have to get serious,' O'Rourke told Tapper. 'We have to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power. So, yes, in California, in Illinois, in New York, wherever we have the trifecta of power, we have to use that to its absolute extent.' And O'Rourke isn't worried about members of his party being dubbed hypocrites for decrying gerrymandering in one part of the country and getting behind the maneuver when it helps their cause in others. 'We have got to fight back,' he told Tapper. 'We cannot roll over. We cannot play dead. We cannot submit to them as Democrats for far too long have done. We've got to fight back with everything that we've got by every single means necessary.'
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
O'Rourke undecided on if he'll run for Senate seat in 2026
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) said on Sunday that he has not yet decided whether to run for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026. 'I don't know,' O'Rourke said in an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union,' when asked if he plans to run for Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) Senate seat, which is up for reelection next year. 'Right now, I'm holding these town halls all over the state of Texas, across the country to listen to people to bring them together and to channel our anger into action, registering people to vote, organizing with voters right now,' he continued. O'Rourke — who ran unsuccessful bids for senator in 2018, for president in 2020, and Texas governor in 2022 — said he's optimistic about Democrats' chances next year. 'But I'm very optimistic about Democrats' opportunity in 2026,' O'Rourke said. 'In Trump's last midterm in 2018, when I was running against Ted Cruz, not only did we come close to defeating the sitting senator, but 12 insurgent Democrats defeated 12 incumbent Republicans in the state House,' he added, referring to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). O'Rourke pointed to Texas Reps. Colin Allred and Lizzie Pannill Fletcher as examples of Democrats who 'defeated entrenched well-funded Republicans' in the 2018 midterms. Allred lost his Senate bid against Cruz in 2024 and has recently announced that he will run against Cornyn's Senate seat in 2026. 'You had 17 black women win judicial positions in Harris County, in Houston, Texas,' he continued. 'It was transformational for the state of Texas.' 'There will be a price for this extremism from Donald Trump from the people that he's hurting across the country right now. And I think we will see that play out in 2026,' O'Rourke said.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
O'Rourke urges Democrats to fight ‘fire with fire' in redistricting battle
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) called on his fellow Democrats to fight 'fire with fire' as Republicans in his state move forward with an effort to alter Texas's congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union,' O'Rourke said Democrats need to start playing the same game as Republicans and stop worrying only about doing what is right. 'I think it's time that we match fire with fire. I think Democrats in the past too often have been more concerned with being right than being in power. And we have seen Republicans only care about being in power, regardless of what is right,' O'Rourke said in the interview. In a rare mid-decade redistricting effort, Texas state lawmakers are expected to consider new congressional lines during a special session of the Texas legislature, which GOP Gov. Greg Abbott called. The effort to redraw the Texas map has been made at the request of President Trump, who aims to bolster the GOP's slim House majority to ensure that Republicans maintain control of the lower chamber during his final two years of his second term. In a call to Texas Republicans on Tuesday morning, the president urged lawmakers to draw the districts in a way that would allow Republicans to flip five Democratic seats to the GOP. Trump also said that he would be 'OK' with blue-leaning states, such as New York and California, potentially doing the same to increase the number of seats for Democrats. 'I think we'll get five. And there could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition,' Trump said Tuesday. 'Texas would be the biggest one.' O'Rourke — who unsuccessfully ran for senator, governor and president — praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for suggesting that he could pursue a similar approach in his state. 'I think that Democrats have been so scared of being branded as hypocrites or coloring outside of the lines that it has absolutely paralyzed them in this struggle for power in America. You don't see the other side worrying about any of that at all, Donald Trump defying the Constitution, the rule of law, the courts, trying to dismantle our very democracy in front of our eyes right now where we sit,' O'Rourke said. 'We have got to fight back. We cannot roll over. We cannot play dead. We cannot submit to them, as Democrats for far too long have done.'
Irish Independent
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Malachy O'Rourke says Tyrone have been ‘well warned' of ‘impressive' Kerry ahead of semi-final showdown
O'Rourke: 'The new rules are designed to help forwards, and Kerry have got a lot of top-class forwards. I'm sure they feel Croke Park really suits the type of football they play so that's another thing to contend with' Kerryman They were the fifteen minutes which rocked the GAA world. Hyperbole? Maybe… maybe not. Either way they were fifteen minutes which would have made any of the remaining teams in the All-Ireland series sit up and take notice.
