Beto O’Rourke Is Heading to Waco for The Texas Drive for Democracy
Beto O'Rourke is journeying across Texas once more to enlighten the masses about voting rights and democracy.
According to a Facebook post from Beto O'Rourke, the former U.S. House Representative will be hitting the road and discussing voter rights and the fight for democracy across cities in Texas.
The location has not been released, but according to Beto's Powered by People PAC, the date is set for June 20th, which just so happens to be Father's Day. The event should kick off at 1 PM, and afterwards Beto is scheduled to appear in Austin at 5:30 PM.
Personally, I am ecstatic! The last opportunity I had to see Beto speak was also in Waco at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame during his campaign against Ted Cruz for Texas Senate. Prior to that, I first watched him speak in Waco at Common Grounds, and found myself hanging to his every word.
When Beto's name was first introduced, I didn't have much interest in politics. Gradually I found myself more concerned with the direction our state was moving, and quickly discovered that the best way to make a change is to talk to your local officials, which means being involved or at least knowledgeable about local elections and politics.
I decided to research what I could and found myself fascinated with everything. Around that time I heard that Beto would be in Waco at Common Grounds, and thought that it would be a good idea to attend so that I could become more informed. I brought along one of my cousins and really had no idea what to expect. The scene was not something I was used to, and I felt very much out of place. The venue was PACKED, and of course being in Texas the weather was hot and humid.
Despite my reservations about the crowd and weather I stayed, and I'm so glad I did. When Beto came out to speak, I was astonished. Never in my life had I felt so moved, so motivated, so heard! It was as if he had read my personal list of grievances, reiterated them much more precisely then I could've ever, and then brought real tangible solutions.
When Beto came again in October, I was unable to take off from work, and was really down about having to miss his rally. I spoke with my boss at the time, who actually decided he wanted to learn what Beto had to offer Texas. Together we went to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, and I was able to watch as Beto's words captivated him as well. To my surprise, a photo of us was actually captured while we stood in line to speak with Beto.
Unfortunately, as most of us are aware, Beto was narrowly defeated by a margin of 3% points in the Texas Senate race, but he did set a record number of votes for most votes ever cast for a Democrat in Texas history. The Texas Senate race saw young voter turnout in early voting up 500%, and young Latino voters turned up like never before.
Beto's new dates for the Texas Drive for Democracy has re-ignited the flame for those Texans who are eagerly waiting to see if Beto will announce a run for Texas Governor. At this time, Beto has yet to make a formal decision.
“If we miss this opportunity to save our democracy at its time of greatest peril, we just may not get it back again at all.” - Beto O'Rourke