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By Garrett Haake, Kailani Koenig and Vaughn Hillyard
WASHINGTON – Beto O'Rourke is heading to Iowa. The presidential candidate will make his first foray into the first state nominations for 2020 this weekend, several Democratic sources told NBC News, as more and more signs indicate that the former congressman of the Texas was planning to announce its decision to make an offer to the White House by the end of March.
O 'Rourke will campaign Saturday in Waterloo, Iowa, on behalf of Democratic Senate candidate Eric Giddens, according to several Democratic sources. Monday night, Giddens released a video O'Rourke wearing a hat from the University of Northern Iowa and encouraging students to support him in his next run.
On Monday, Iowa's Democratic Political Circles also announced that Mr. O. Rourke may have recruited one of the best political consultants from Iowa and Hawkeye-based state in his potential campaign team.
Iowa Democratic Party President Troy Price told NBC News that Norm Sterzenbach left his role as a consultant to the party on Friday after launching his caucus operations for 2020, including the formation of virtual caucuses. that will allow Iowans to participate if they are not in state. the day of the vote.
Sterzenbach, who was previously executive director of the state party, has left his post to join the efforts of the team of a potential presidential candidate, said Price. Sterzenbach did not immediately respond to calls from NBC News.
O 'Rourke will also speak this weekend during a conference call with the High School Democrats of America, the band announced Sunday night. The HSDA website states that questions to O'Rourke should be "brief and unrelated to Beto as a potential candidate for 2020".
Candidates for the presidency, Senators Cory Booker and Tulsi Gabbard, also spoke to this organization, as did former Vice President Joe Biden.
O'Rourke burst onto the national scene last year by challenging Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz in one of the most-watched Senate elections in the 2018 mid-term elections, losing just 2.5 points in the the very republican state. His campaign has been propelled by tremendous popular support for his candidacy and his national appeal to young democrats. This support immediately fueled rumors of a likely candidacy for the presidency that has only strengthened since November.
Anticipating a possible announcement, the conservative club for growth on Monday issued a two-minute announcement targeting O & # Rourke that will air on the Des Moines media market, the group told NBC News.
O'Rourke still has to overcome several logistical hurdles before he can participate in the 2020 race. In the absence of CAP support and without holding an elective position, he can not and has not officially hired staff. But a person familiar with O 'Rourke's plans told NBC News on Monday that there was "active discussions with staff to be ready for the first day". In addition, the exact details of how and when an announcement will be made remain in motion, sources close to O Dit Rourke.
Recent polls in Iowa and nationwide have shown that O'Rourke remains popular with voters in the Democratic primary, several months after his earlier than expected defeat in Texas. In early voting countries, support for O'Rourke remains strong and consistently ranks among the top five potential Democrats.
But his delay in announcing a campaign and his long articles on his blog during and after a road trip in early spring have led to fascinating complaints and complaints about the time lost among the analysts and Democratic agents.
"I think all of this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the sooner he gets on the pitch, the better," said Boyd Brown, a former South Carolina senator and DNC member, at NBC News. "We have almost a year off, so we have a lot of time – someone who can catch on fire as fast as he wants, the clock is not really a problem."
"His chances in South Carolina would be very good, there is definitely room for an exciting, young and inspiring candidate, he fits that model, he brings a lot of good questions to the table, a lot of energy. to the Democratic Party. " Brown said.
O'Rourke's team also had talks about potential positions in the campaign staff with people linked to the first US state, New Hampshire, according to several Democrats linked to this state who are not involved in a O'Rourke's drafting attempt.
"There is a lot of interest in visiting Beto O 'Rourke" in New Hampshire, said Concord's lawyer, Jay Surdukowski, who organized the "Beto" party and was one of the most virulent advocates of his candidacy. "In some ways, this kind of unorthodox" playing hard "strategy can pay off."
Although Surdukowski had only limited contact with O 'Rourke's team, he supported the former congressman enough: "There is not a day going by without me receiving a dozen Calls or emails from all over the state requesting, "There are at least a dozen groups who wish to host it, and this number will likely increase when it makes an announcement."
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