Home Local News O’Rourke asks supporters to ‘vote for change’ during Corpus Christi rally

O’Rourke asks supporters to ‘vote for change’ during Corpus Christi rally

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O’Rourke asks supporters to ‘vote for change’ during Corpus Christi rally

Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke ascended a waist-high tree planter outside the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi Monday morning to address a group of supporters in no uncertain terms: Low turnout would spell defeat in his race to unseat incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott. 

“Voting is important. … I’m grateful that you’re doing it,” the Democratic hopeful told a crowd of more than 150 people outside the busy polling location. “But if we don’t bring more of our friends, family members, classmates, colleagues and neighbors into this election, I’ll tell you the end of the story right now: We will not win.”

The brief campaign stop in Corpus Christi was the first of five he made in South Texas on Halloween, the final Monday of early voting before the high-dollar race is decided on Election Day on Nov. 8. On Monday, he scheduled stops in the cities of Edinburg, Weslaco, San Juan and McAllen — all in solidly blue Hidalgo County.

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke shakes hands with Elizabeth Leal, 61, of Corpus Christi, outside of the Nueces County Courthouse after speaking during a campaign stop on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The former U.S. representative from El Paso spoke for about 10 minutes before taking photos with supporters and speaking with local media. O’Rourke, 50, criticized Abbott, 64, for the two-term Republican’s perceived inaction on the issues of safety and academic performance in Texas public schools, the state’s power grid and high property taxes.

O’Rourke’s remarks on restoring abortion rights in Texas in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling that terminating a pregnancy is not constitutionally protected drew some of the strongest applause from the crowd. He also condemned Abbott for signing into law “the most extreme abortion ban in America” without exceptions for rape or incest earlier this year.

“There is no room in the doctor’s office for a politician. No room at all,” said Elizabeth Leal, a 61-year-old Corpus Christi resident who voted for O’Rourke in his 2018 run for U.S. Senate. She said she cast her vote for O’Rourke again because she sees his victory as imperative to bring back abortion rights to Texan women.

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke hugs Amalia Aguilar, of Corpus Christi, during a rally outside of the Nueces County Courthouse on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

O’Rourke also detailed key action items he would seek to implement if elected to the position, including legalizing marijuana and expunging marijuana-related convictions for Texans, raising the state’s $7.25 minimum wage and pay for teachers and eliminating public schools’ annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness — more commonly known as the STAAR test.

“It’s the last Monday for early voting,” he said. “The last Monday we’re going to have a chance to cast that ballot and vote for change, and Lord knows we need some change.”

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks outside of the Nueces County Courthouse during a rally on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Wearing a maroon ballcap that reflected Uvalde’s school colors, O’Rourke also criticized the governor’s actions in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting at a Texas public school in May, when 19 children and two adults were killed at Robb Elementary School. O’Rourke, echoing other state officials and family members of the victims, reiterated his call for the resignation of Steve McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Safety, for his agency’s response to the shooting. (McCraw last week said DPS “as an institution” did not fail Uvalde.)

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