with a penchant for punk rock —

“Can politics be like punk rock?”

“I think,

I think we’re proving that right now.”

— and oversharing online.

“So, I’m here at the dentist.”

Beto O’Rourke

is running for president.

So, who is he?

O’Rourke, full name Robert, but better known as

“Beto” [repeated]

“My nickname is Beto.”

He grew up near the border in El Paso.

His early ambitions? Music.

But after a series of bands and career moves,

O’Rourke ended up in politics

[Spanish]

and was elected to Congress in 2012.

“I’ll work with anyone, anytime, anywhere as long as

it advances the interests of Texas and of this country.”

He took on sitting Senator Ted Cruz in 2018.

“This election is a fundamental choice for the direction of our nation.”

O’Rourke crisscrossed Texas, live streaming

“Hey, everyone.”

building a sprawling grass-roots campaign

and minting his status as a Democratic darling.

It wasn’t enough to win,

but the question had already emerged:

“Can you say definitively that you will not be a candidate

for president in 2020?”

“Will you be running for president?”

He took a solo road trip,

talked to people, grew a beard and then

decided, he’s in.

“We are making a stand for the truth.”

Some of O’Rourke’s priorities?

They’ll most likely include universal health care,

tighter gun control laws and immigration reform.

“We don’t need another wall.

We don’t need another fence.”

Some potential weaknesses? O’Rourke doesn’t

have any major legislative accomplishments,

and he lost his latest race.

And President Trump?

“And we were all challenged by a young man who

lost an election to Ted Cruz.”

They recently held dueling rallies in El Paso.

“We stand for America, and we stand against walls.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to win in order to run.”

So, where does he stand?

O’Rourke did well in some early polls.

But after Democratic midterm wins,

often powered by women and people of color,

some wonder if a white male nominee is the right

fit for the party in 2020.

“Let’s do it!”