Beto O'Rourke Is Running For President In 2020

Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke is running for president, ending months of speculation regarding his next move after narrowly losing to Sen. Ted Cruz in one of the hotly contested midterm races last year. O'Rourke, who will make a formal announcement sometime Thursday, confirmed his decision Wednesday in a text to NBC-affiliate KTSM.

“I’m really proud of what El Paso did and what El Paso represents,” O’Rourke reportedly texted. “It’s a big part of why I’m running. This city is the best example of this country at its best.”

The news of O'Rourke's presidential ambition coincided with an April Vanity Fair cover story where he's quoted saying "I want to be in it. Man, I'm just born to be in it." The cover photo, which features O'Rourke standing in a road with his dog, was immediately turned into memes on Twitter.

O'Rourke joins a growing number of Democratic hopefuls eyeing the White House in 2020. So far the list includes Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, among many others.