Presidential Hopeful Beto O'Rourke To Campaign In Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Former El Paso, Texas, congressman and now presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke will close out a series of campaign rallies in Austin on the penultimate day of March, according to his events page.

A rising star in Democratic politics, O'Rourke has scheduled a rally on March 30 at 9 p.m. at 9th Street and Congress Avenue, according to his Facebook events page. The candidate has been on the stump across the Midwest in his quest for his party's nomination for the presidency, including making stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, the latter in which he's visiting all the state's 10 counties.

Before heading to Texas, O'Rourke is scheduled to appear in South Carolina. Once in Texas, he will return to his hometown on the morning of March 30, followed by a stop in Houston for a 5 p.m. stop before capping his Texas tour in Austin. His local rally will be staged two blocks from the Texas Capitol.

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Austin has drawn the largest crowds in support O'Rourke, as evidenced by a rally last September at Vic Mathias Shores featuring country music legend Willie Nelson that lured 60,000 people. O'Rourke came within striking distance of beating state Sen. Ted Cruz, losing to the incumbent by less than three percentage points in a largely red state that tends to vote Republican.

While O'Rourke ultimately lost the contest last fall, his popularity helped propel other Democratic candidates in what became something of a blue wave that enabled his party to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Propelled by that success, O'Rourke is now among the early favorites to secure the nomination of his party for president, having raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his bid — more than any of the other contenders announcing their candidacies.

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