Beto O'Rourke wins Democratic nomination for Texas governor

Beto O'Rourke hopes to unseat incumbent Governor Greg Abbott in the November election. FOX 7 Austin's Carissa Lehmkuhl has more from O'Rourke's election night rally in Fort Worth.

FORT WORTH, Texas - After two unsuccessful political runs in the last five years, Beto O’Rourke is throwing his hat in the ring once again.

"He’s got the tenacity which I really respect," said Fort Worth resident Ariana Mercado. "Seeing a candidate get up and continuing to fight for the people that he wants to represent."

O’Rourke is the frontrunner among five Democratic candidates for governor. On primary election night, O’Rourke held a rally at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Downtown Fort Worth.

A big topic of conversation was how Gov. Greg Abbott handled the February 2021 winter storm and power grid failure.

Beto O'Rourke speaks at his rally in Fort Worth

Beto O'Rourke takes the stage at his rally in Fort Worth, Texas.

"We haven’t winterized the gas supply, so if we see more extreme or severe weather like we did last year it’s going down again and we’re losing power again," said O’Rourke. "As governor, I’m going to make sure we winterize and weatherize the gas supply, connect ERCOT to the national grid and help ratepayers instead of taxing them an additional 40 to 60 bucks a month."

O’Rourke ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 but narrowly lost to Sen. Ted Cruz. He was also a candidate in the presidential election in 2020.

Previously, he served as U.S. Representative for Texas’ 16th Congressional District which encompasses O’Rourke’s hometown of El Paso.

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MORE HEADLINES:
Texas primary 2022: Greg Abbott, Beto O'Rourke easily win nominations for governor
2022 Texas Governor election: Abbott versus Beto
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