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Beto O'Rourke and his advisers make it clear that he is about to announce a race for the presidency, which would put an end to a period of public and private introspection of several months and would change the complexion of the overcrowded primary democrat field of 2020.
O 'Rourke's potential candidacy was one of the most anticipated, after the enthusiasm he sparked in a failed US Senate race against the US Senate, to the frustration of other hopes in the US Senate. a daunting area that note that he is a former congressman who sits on three terms. lost his only attempt to win the office of the state.
By design or accident, O'Rourke's long period of indecision has raised suspense around his decision that few other candidates can match. He intensified his interest this week by informing reporters that he and his wife had made a decision and were "delighted to share it quickly with everyone."
The aides discussed how to manage, for example, the campaign in Iowa. And those around O'Rourke have received unsolicited resumes, offers to force O'Rourke to stay with private individuals and, on the part of a supporter, a donation offer from the betosback.com domain domain.
Some asked if they could start donating to his campaign (they could not) or why their recurring payments to his campaign in the Senate had stopped (the committee had been closed).
In an address to reporters last week in El Paso, Mr. O. Rourke is distinguished from other renowned Democrats who call themselves Socialists.
"I am a capitalist," O'Rourke said. "I do not see how we could meet the country's fundamental challenges without partly harnessing the power of the market. Climate change is the most immediate example. If you want to harness all the innovation and ingenuity of this country, our system as a country, our economy, will have to be part of it. "
A core of councilors in O'Rourke's birthplace, El Paso, organized strategy meetings and continued hikes with O'Rourke as they planned a fledgling campaign. The former congressman rode a bicycle to an improvised office near San Jacinto Plaza, telephoning and seeking advice from Democrats across the country.
Some proponents advised him to run a campaign in Iowa similar to the Texas effort that made him a national figure, when he drove into a Chevrolet Suburban, visiting communities that Democrats were unaware of. generally and broadcast almost everything on Facebook.
"He brings a new personality that is perhaps distinctive and creates his own niche in a manner comparable to that of Obama," said Kurt Meyer, president of the Tri-County Democrats of the United States. Iowa.
Meyer met Sens Democrats. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Stayed at Meyer's. Warren and Booker are running for president and Brown is planning to run.
"Some of these things would be more focused on the personality and the aura than on the position," Meyer said. "I think at least that Beto O'Rourke's personality and aura would mean that Iowans should take a look."
A candidacy from O. Rourke could add an optimist centrist message to a campaign marked by a leftist politics and sometimes by anger. It could also make Democratic voters wonder what direction they want to take in the era of President Trump. .
If O'Rourke intervenes, a decision that could take place next week, this would solve one of the biggest uncertainties that hang over a turbulent season at the beginning of primary, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden to the rank of personalities still undecided.
The Texan could be an unorthodox candidate: he resists labels, is wary of party establishment and has worked without a pollster or speechwriter. His appeal is largely based on personality rather than politics; He projects a young and trendy youth at 46, but he has virtually no proven track record on the national scene and would have one of the lightest resumes among senators, governors and perhaps a former vice president .
"There is no doubt that he has this intangible quality in which people want to follow him, raise funds and volunteer," said Jen Psaki, a longtime Democratic consultant who has worked on several presidential campaigns.
"The unknown questions are: can he intensify the kind of magic he's created in Texas? We do not know it, "she said. "And the second question is: what unique ideas does he bring to the table about policies that interest people?"
O'Rourke is not the only Democrat to have a well-known public – Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) Drew a large crowd, and Senator Bernie Sanders (IV-V.) Raised impressive fund. Some liberals are wary of O'Rourke's ideological vagueness about what they see as a rare moment for leftist ideas.
Beyond that, the political story is filled with candidates who were initially perceived as stars, but whose campaigns are jostling once faced with a presidential race with its unique pressure and visibility.
It is unclear how O'Rourke would fit into an area that has so far been largely shaped by very liberal candidates. A fourth-generation Irish-born American fluent in Spanish, O'Rourke was part of the centrist NDP coalition during his term in Congress.
Recently asked if he was a progressive, he objected. "As you may have seen and heard during the campaign, I am not a big fan of labels," he told reporters. "I do not get excited about party, classification or definition of people on the basis of a label or group."
O'Rourke was largely unknown until his campaign last year against Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). He appeared in "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and received support from celebrities such as Beyoncé, LeBron James and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda. He raised record sums and successfully leveraged social media.
His three-point loss to Cruz, in a very conservative state, did little to dampen the enthusiasm of some Democrats for the idea of launching a presidential campaign.
He met with former President Barack Obama and was encouraged by many members of the Obama network to consider running. He also made a solo trip, which he documented in articles on the Medium website, revealing that he had found himself "in and out of the funk".
O'Rourke is due to appear on March 9 at the premiere of a documentary on his Senate campaign, which will be screened at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. A group of other 2020 candidates – including Warren; Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Ind .; and the former mayor of San Antonio, Julián Castro – are also present at the festival.
The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday that O 'Rourke had decided not to run for the US Senate in 2020. The leader of the Senate minority Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) in recent weeks had encouraged him to stand against Senator John. Cornyn (R-Tex).
Meanwhile, a group of journalists from national news organizations are camping in El Paso, while waiting for any announcement. CNN cameras filmed Thursday O'Rourke unlocking his bike from a traffic sign.
"You have not got my code, is not it?", He asked, joking that someone might steal his bike.
Then, while he was starting to pedal, he answered a last question.
"Fixie?" Asked someone, referring to a simple bike type. "It was," he says. "I just put a freewheel on it."
With that, he accelerated.
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