Beto News
Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke will visit 75 cities across Texas
If you live in Texas, you're likely to see Beto O'Rourke soon: The gubernatorial candidate is doing a big tour across the state, driving more than 5,600 miles in 49 days in his campaign to beat Gov. Greg Abbott.
According to a release, O'Rourke will visit every part of the state this summer and hold 70 public events in more than 65 counties.
He'll kick off the drive from El Paso on July 19 before hitting the road to more than 75 communities as he tries to tighten the race at a time when Abbott's ratings have hit a historic low.
"We are going to bring people together in every part of this state to overcome Abbott’s extremism, incompetence, cruelty and corruption, and focus on the big things that unite us: great jobs, world-class schools, the ability to see a doctor and lowering costs so every Texan can live to their full potential," says O'Rourke in a statement.
Talking points will include creating jobs, health care, the abortion ban, the defunding of public schools, inflation, and keeping kids and communities safe.
O'Rourke likes to get out and see the people, and has a lot of energy. In his 2018 campaign for Senate, he visited every one of the state's 254 counties. In this campaign, he's already held more than 50 public town halls since beginning the general election in March.
Abbott's approval rating has dropped nine points since the spring. A July poll from The Texas Politics Project found that O'Rourke has cut Abbott's lead by five points since April.
The poll also finds that 59 percent of Texas voters say the state is heading in the wrong direction under Abbott, and only 15 percent agree with Abbott's abortion law that allows no exception for rape or incest.
A list of Drive for Texas events can be found online. To his credit, he's hitting a lot of smaller towns like Waco and Cleburne, and mostly leaving out bigger cities although he'll be in Frisco on August 13, and is ending the tour in Denton on September 7.
UPDATE 8-8-2022: Beto has added Fort Worth to his itinerary with a stop on August 10.
Here's his schedule across North Texas from August 10-13:
Wednesday August 10
- 12 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Cleburne, Kauffman Leadership Academy, 1108 N. Anglin St.
- 5:30 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Mineral Wells, The Crazy Water Hotel, 401 N. Oak Ave.
Thursday August 11
- 12 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Decatur, Decatur Conference Center, 2010 US-380
- 5:30 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Fort Worth, Location TBA
Friday August 12
- 5:30 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Gainesville, St. James CME Church, 430 Throckmorton St.
Saturday August 13
- 10:30 am: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Greenville, Reecy Davis Recreation Center, 4320 Lee St.
- 2:30 pm: A Drive for Texas Town Hall in Frisco, Frisco Hall, 5353 Independence Pkwy. #1