Beto O'Rourke storms Iowa – POLITICO

BURLINGTON, Iowa – Beto O'Rourke broke into Iowa on Thursday, climbed to the counter of a cafe surrounded by supporters and said that in the teeming crowd, "I see the future of America, now , same here."

In the first and oldest test of the Texan Democrat's call outside his home country, O'Rourke went through the news cycle, attracting a crowd and a flood of media attention that followed him, from cafes to town halls to sidewalks in southeastern Iowa.

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The scene gave an idea of ​​its potential, but also signaled the dangers for his campaign. The celebrity who marked his first day as a presidential candidate – his visit had been preceded the day before by a report from Vanity Fair – provoked a reaction of anger among some Democrats frustrated by the fanfare surrounding his launch and by what They viewed it as a double standard applied to O 'Rourke in a field of women and color candidates.

The prominent conservative group, Club for Growth, sought to fan these flames by cutting an advertisement describing O'Rourke as a candidate reinforced by the "white men's privilege".

Inside the Beancounter Coffeehouse & Drinkery in Burlington, supporters of the former congressman posed for selfies and asked O'Rourke for autographs. And, as in a box-in-the-box – his long arms and elastic legs are perpetually in motion – the former congressman is striving to force a place for himself in the gulf of the primary Democratic primary. The crowd attracted more than 120 people, and when Fox News planned the live shoot during O'Rourke's speech, the participants dropped the journalist down a flight of stairs.

Still, many Democrats now gathering around O'Rourke in Iowa know him only because of his run to the Texas Senate last year. And while O'Rourke was cultivating a national audience in his earlier-than-expected run against incumbent President Ted Cruz, he was competing with a Republican who was universally hated by the Democrats, and not the catalog of high-level progressives waiting for him. in the presidential primary.

In Iowa, O'Rourke was greeted by a receptive crowd on Thursday. But he was also quickly confronted with the difficulty he will have to distinguish himself in the campaign. O'Rourke's countryman Julián Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio, chose O'Rourke's announcement day to announce the approval of 30 elected and appointed Democrats in Texas. Senator Kamala Harris of California sent an e-mail to raise funds from O'Rourke, highlighting for her supporters the need to compete in a booming field.

Entering Iowa, the country's first caucus member state, much later than most of its competitors, O 'Rourke is trying to position himself as a unifying figure in the Democratic primary, imposing as a politician who can appeal to less ideological ideas. electors of mind.

First in Keokuk, then in Burlington, a manufacturing center, O'Rourke, 46, focused his campaign on a policy not on politics, but on a commitment to he engages with them regardless of party membership. O'Rourke spoke generally about health care, wages, tax reform and education, often entertaining proposals, but rarely accept or reject them in detail.

Asked about a proposal to increase the number of judges at the US Supreme Court, O'Rourke said: "Given that we are at one of the most dysfunctional times in the history of the United States," he said. history of the US government, I think this calls us to be creative. what are some of the solutions. "

O'Rourke made no commitment to his campaign operation and fundraising. In the early afternoon, he stated that he did not know how his initial fundraising was going. When POLITICO asked him if he would disclose his 24-hour fundraising figures on Friday, he objected.

"I do not know," he says.

O'Rourke told the daily El Paso that he would take care of his campaign in El Paso and would require staff to settle in the city of West Texas, despite the concerns of some Democratic agents about his distance from the centers. political and media issues on the east coast. O'Rourke said Becky Bond, senior adviser to Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and O'Rourke's Senate race advisor in 2018, was not managing his campaign, but did not answer the question of who was.

"No matter what that is," said O & # Rourke about the myriad of issues raised during a campaign stop in Burlington, "we need to make sure that this very divided country and very polarized is able to come together, that we find enough ground for common pursuit of the common good, namely that we all have a common understanding of what we are as Americans before we we are Republicans and Democrats. "

O'Rourke promised Thursday in his campaign statement to conduct a "positive campaign". And at least during the opening hours, he religiously respected the script. When asked what made him different from his competitors on a sidewalk in Burlington, he told reporters, "I will allow people to determine what makes us different from each other."

"All I can tell you is that I want to be able to bring people together," he said. "We usually can do this in El Paso and Texas, ensuring that party membership, geography or race does not separate us."

Previously, Mr. O'Rourke had praised "so many outstanding candidates for the presidency," he said, "it's a great sign that this democracy is still working in a big way."

He added: "Any Democrat running today would be … much better than the current occupant of the White House."

O'Rourke's councilors said the three-day trip would go through more than a dozen counties, including several for President Barack Obama in 2012, before moving on to Donald Trump in 2016.

In the meantime, O'Rourke has embarked on a tremendous effort to raise money online, encouraging larger donors and smaller supporters to seek help from their networks by sending an e-mail to their own appeals. Fund raising. Although the initial 24-hour fundraising period is important for every presidential candidate, it is of particular importance to O. Rourke, who has been considered by many Democrats to be a credible candidate only after collecting more money. $ 80 million in the Senate race of 2018. a staggering sum.

O'Rourke, like many Democrats, has vowed to receive funding from the Super PAC, a promise he has glanced at – and has been relaunched – in a funding application that coincides with his announcement. On Wednesday morning, he said on Twitter that people from all US states and territories donated to his campaign.

"Everyone, no PAC," he said on Twitter. "Let's keep going."

Mr. O. Rourke begins far behind the other Democrats of the state, many of whom not only campaigned for themselves here this year, but also traveled extensively in Iowa during the elections. mid-term of last year.

During a telephone conversation with a Democrat in the state, a source close to the conversation told POLITICO, O 'Rourke personally apologized this week for the lack of a "phone call". organization of his campaign. His Spartan staff attempted to quickly develop an operation in Iowa after O & # 39; Rourke. spent months weighing a race.

The formation of an election campaign – and his arrival in Iowa – was relieved by supporters who encouraged O'Rourke to run for months. Michael Soneff, a political strategist working on the Draft Beto project, left California Wednesday for eastern California. Mr. O'Rourke's announcement is imminent.

"I want to be there to see the story happen," he said.