Democrat Beto O'Rourke plans a solo trip to meet voters outside of Texas



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WASHINGTON – Former Texas representative Beto O 'Rourke asked his associates to create a route for him to take a solo trip outside Texas, where he would go to places such as community college campuses. enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, according to a person familiar with the plans.

million. O'Rourke's trip will start at his home in El Paso and keep him away from Iowa and other early-voting states. Mr. O'Rourke does not plan to be accompanied by staff or the press, although he can document the trip on social media and allow the people he meets to do the same. He does not plan to make a final decision on a presidential candidacy until at least February.

O'Rourke is one of three Democratic personalities on the eve of the party's nascent presidential race. The decisions that will be taken in the coming weeks by former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, as well as the decision of Mr. O. Rourke, will help outline the contours of the campaign for Democrats of 2020.

The decisions of potential candidates could also be taken influenced by Senator Elizabeth Warren's first foray into Iowa, where she was welcomed by hundreds of Democrats who aspired to a candidate to face Republican President Trump.

His reception will "intensify the pressure on the population". Steve Elmendorf, Democratic strategist and veteran of the presidential campaigns. "If you're thinking of doing it, you have to be a little worried about having yourself later."

Many Democrats plan to run for the president's plan to make their decision. next weeks. Gerald F. Seib of the WSJ explains why an early auction is a campaign strategy. Photos: Getty

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro, plans to officially launch his campaign on Saturday. California Senator Kamala Harris is scheduled to begin reading tour Tuesday. Several Harris colleagues in the Senate, including Detective Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, are considering potential campaigns.

Several candidates for the Democratic presidency are doing their best. Political calculations specific to the 2020 competition, based in part on what MM. Biden and Sanders decided to race.

If the former vice president was running, this could create more political space for Democrats such as former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe. or the former mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu. The former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, who visited Iowa in December, plans to travel to New Hampshire later this month, but he is unlikely that he announces a decision before February, said an assistant. Sanders occupies the same progressive territory as Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom supported his bid for 2016 and are now considering running for office. Warren, who formally set up an exploratory committee last week, occupies a similar part of the Democratic ideological spectrum.

million. Biden, who runs the first polls of Democrats in Iowa and across the country, said family considerations would be a key part of his decision, as in 2015, when he chose not to participate in the primary democrats following the death of his 46-year-old son. eldest son, Beau Biden.

million. Biden was "leaning forward" to enter the race but has not yet made a final decision, said a person familiar with his thought who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the internal discussions.

million. Biden, 76, is holding a series of meetings with his longtime advisers in Washington this week as part of the process, but said the talks could last into the next few weeks. Long-time collaborators are preparing for the event he decides to run for the job, he added.

In the meantime, Mr. Biden went to conferences to publicize his book. For an "American Promise Tour" stop on January 24 in the suburbs of Dallas, tickets cost up to $ 400 for a "VIP meeting", which includes a photo with Mr. Biden, an autographed copy of his book and a place at the first

The younger brother of former vice president, Frank Biden, said Monday during a radio interview with Michael Smerconish of SiriusXM that he had "absolutely, positively encouraged "Mr. Biden to participate in the campaign.

"If he decides to leave, he will be the most dynamic of the 70 years you have ever met your life," said Frank Biden.

Sanders, whose main campaign of 2016 was the main beneficiary when Ms. Warren refused to participate in the 2016 campaign despite the efforts of the Liberal groups to include him in the race, sent an email to his supporters at the end of December, entitled " If I run. "A fundraising email for his campaign committee, the 77-year-old senator reiterated that if he was" the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, then I would probably run for it. "

M O'Rourke is now on a move to get him in. The 46-year-old has raised more than $ 80 million but has narrowly lost the Texas Senate race in 2018. the republican senator Ted Cruz, candidates including Messrs. Biden, O & Rourke and Sanders before deciding who to support.

Linda Drury of Holstein, Iowa, came to see Miss Warren on Saturday in Sioux City, saying that she would not decide who to choose. back until she saw a handful of candidates.

"It's always fun to see a real candidate," said Ms. Drury, 62, who works in customer service for a commercial door manufacturer. "You can read what they did, but I want to see what they will tell us."

Write to Reid J. Epstein at [email protected] and Ken Thomas at [email protected]

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