Beto O’Rourke is learning quickly that a White House run is nothing like a Senate race
Beto O’Rourke is only a few days into his presidential campaign, and it’s already clear that this will be nothing like his bid for the Senate.
The former Texas representative was considered a media darling during his race against Sen. Ted Cruz, but the glossy profiles and viral videos may be a thing of the past. In their place is the tough, relentless and personal scrutiny that comes with running for the highest office in the land.
It started before O’Rourke officially announced he was running for president. He had mercilessly delayed revealing his plans for 2020, drawing headlines like, “‘It’s a bit much’: Beto drags out his 2020 tease at South by Southwest.” When O’Rourke finally did announce he was running, things didn’t go much better. A few hours after making it official, O’Rourke haphazardly told a crowd of supporters in Iowa that he “sometimes” helped his wife raise their children.
“I just got a call from my wife, Amy, who is back in El Paso, Texas where she is raising — sometimes with my help — Ulysses who is 12, Molly who is 10, and their little brother Henry who is 8 years old,” O’Rourke said.
During his run for Senate, an off-the-cuff comment like this would hardly have been a blip on the radar. But now that he is a candidate for president, the public criticism of O’Rourke’s dismissive tone in describing his parenting duties quickly caught fire. Rebecca Traister, a prominent feminist author, excoriated him on Twitter. A CNN reporter wrote that his run “drips with white male privilege.” Suddenly, O’Rourke’s independent wealth, his privilege and a campaign video where his wife sat quietly by his side were thrust onto center stage. O’Rourke later admitted that his comment was “ham-handed” and acknowledged his “white privilege” to reporters.
The former Texas representative was considered a media darling during his race against Sen. Ted Cruz, but the glossy profiles and viral videos may be a thing of the past. In their place is the tough, relentless and personal scrutiny that comes with running for the highest office in the land.
It started before O’Rourke officially announced he was running for president. He had mercilessly delayed revealing his plans for 2020, drawing headlines like, “‘It’s a bit much’: Beto drags out his 2020 tease at South by Southwest.” When O’Rourke finally did announce he was running, things didn’t go much better. A few hours after making it official, O’Rourke haphazardly told a crowd of supporters in Iowa that he “sometimes” helped his wife raise their children.
“I just got a call from my wife, Amy, who is back in El Paso, Texas where she is raising — sometimes with my help — Ulysses who is 12, Molly who is 10, and their little brother Henry who is 8 years old,” O’Rourke said.
During his run for Senate, an off-the-cuff comment like this would hardly have been a blip on the radar. But now that he is a candidate for president, the public criticism of O’Rourke’s dismissive tone in describing his parenting duties quickly caught fire. Rebecca Traister, a prominent feminist author, excoriated him on Twitter. A CNN reporter wrote that his run “drips with white male privilege.” Suddenly, O’Rourke’s independent wealth, his privilege and a campaign video where his wife sat quietly by his side were thrust onto center stage. O’Rourke later admitted that his comment was “ham-handed” and acknowledged his “white privilege” to reporters.
Since that first day, it’s been more of the same. Vanity Fair published a lengthy profile about O’Rourke on Wednesday. In it, O’Rourke describes the circumstances of his DUI arrest and says it was the result of a late-night attempt to go pick up an ex-girlfriend. Sami Gilkes, the National Republican Senatorial Committee deputy digital director, tweeted out the excerpt, asking why nobody was talking about the fact O’Rourke got a DUI for a “booty call.”
And just like that, a lot of people were talking about "Beto’s booty call.”
On Sunday, The Financial Times published a dispatch from Iowa on O’Rourke. The headline speaks for itself: “Iowa Democrats dig beneath the Beto O’Rourke hype.” In it, reporter Demetri Sevastopulo describes Iowans who are hungry for more specific policy proposals and less impassioned, John F. Kennedy-like rhetoric.
Perhaps nothing illustrates the new climate for O’Rourke better than contrasting the reactions to his use of profanity just a few months ago to now. In November, when O’Rourke said he was so “f---ing proud” of his supporters during a concession speech on live national television, TIME referred to his “passionate” speech and noted O’Rourke’s supporters felt his “unfiltered” language was just part of his “punk rock” persona. Now, just a few short months later, O’Rourke is being reprimanded for the very same language.
CNN reporter DJ Judd shared a transcript of a tense moment during a campaign stop in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Can you promise during your campaign not to use the F-word?” an unidentified voter asked. “When you lost last November, you used the F-word. It was a big splash. You had bleeped remarks. And now at your Texas event last week you used the F-word in front of your kid. Come on Beto, clean up your language, honestly.”
“Yeah, no, great point,” O’Rourke responded. “And I don’t intend to use the F-word going forward. Thank you.”
And just like that, a lot of people were talking about "Beto’s booty call.”
On Sunday, The Financial Times published a dispatch from Iowa on O’Rourke. The headline speaks for itself: “Iowa Democrats dig beneath the Beto O’Rourke hype.” In it, reporter Demetri Sevastopulo describes Iowans who are hungry for more specific policy proposals and less impassioned, John F. Kennedy-like rhetoric.
Perhaps nothing illustrates the new climate for O’Rourke better than contrasting the reactions to his use of profanity just a few months ago to now. In November, when O’Rourke said he was so “f---ing proud” of his supporters during a concession speech on live national television, TIME referred to his “passionate” speech and noted O’Rourke’s supporters felt his “unfiltered” language was just part of his “punk rock” persona. Now, just a few short months later, O’Rourke is being reprimanded for the very same language.
CNN reporter DJ Judd shared a transcript of a tense moment during a campaign stop in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Can you promise during your campaign not to use the F-word?” an unidentified voter asked. “When you lost last November, you used the F-word. It was a big splash. You had bleeped remarks. And now at your Texas event last week you used the F-word in front of your kid. Come on Beto, clean up your language, honestly.”
“Yeah, no, great point,” O’Rourke responded. “And I don’t intend to use the F-word going forward. Thank you.”
Other stories have popped up, too. O’Rourke conceded that he was “not proud” of a fictional short story he wrote when he was a teenager depicting the murder of children. Reuters also uncovered that O’Rourke was part of a prominent ‘90s computer hacking group. Of course, having your past combed through by reporters is just part of running for president. But it’s clear O’Rourke’s relationship with the press won’t be as cozy as it was when he ran for Senate.
Some things haven’t changed, though. On Monday morning, O’Rourke’s team — which raised an astonishing $80 million during his Senate race — announced that he pulled in $6.1 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his bid for the presidency. The total is more than Sen. Bernie Sanders ($5.9 million), Sen. Kamala Harris ($1.5 million), Sen. Elizabeth Warren ($300,000) or anyone else in the 2020 field raised in their first 24 hours after announcing.
As for his feelings on the new level of scrutiny, he seems to be taking it in stride. O’Rourke said he wasn’t surprised unflattering stories from his past were being dug up.
“All I can do is my best, which is what I’m trying to do,” he said during a taping of the Political Party Live podcast in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “I can’t control anything I’ve done in the past. I can only control what I do going forward, and what I plan to do is give this my best.”
Some things haven’t changed, though. On Monday morning, O’Rourke’s team — which raised an astonishing $80 million during his Senate race — announced that he pulled in $6.1 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his bid for the presidency. The total is more than Sen. Bernie Sanders ($5.9 million), Sen. Kamala Harris ($1.5 million), Sen. Elizabeth Warren ($300,000) or anyone else in the 2020 field raised in their first 24 hours after announcing.
As for his feelings on the new level of scrutiny, he seems to be taking it in stride. O’Rourke said he wasn’t surprised unflattering stories from his past were being dug up.
“All I can do is my best, which is what I’m trying to do,” he said during a taping of the Political Party Live podcast in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “I can’t control anything I’ve done in the past. I can only control what I do going forward, and what I plan to do is give this my best.”