AUSTIN, Texas — Beto O'Rourke (D) made a campaign stop in Downtown Austin on Saturday.
The event was held Saturday evening at Republic Square Park, located at 422 Guadalupe Street.
The former 2020 presidential contender touched on several topics, focusing on the devastating impact of Winter Storm Uri and new Texas laws, like abortion restrictions and permitless carry.
O'Rourke said he would repeal these laws as governor, repeating the theme of trusting women to make decisions regarding their bodies and trusting law enforcement officials who "begged" Gov. Abbott not to sign the permit-less law.
"We are going to trust Texas. That is how we are going to serve the people of Texas," O'Rourke said. "That is how we are going to win this critically important election. It takes all of us trusting one another making that commitment to ourselves, to each other, the generations that will follow us and ensure that this is a better state for them and for everyone who comes down the road."
When asked what makes this gubernatorial campaign different than his run for U.S. Senate and the presidency, O'Rourke talked about Texas being "ready for a change" after the power grid failure in February, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state and recently-passed laws.
O'Rourke also said his campaign is aiming to motivate the millions of voters who were eligible to vote in the 2020 election, but didn't.
"We need to reach out to people who've never been given a reason to vote and literally knock on their doors and invite them into this democracy and make sure that they decide the outcome of this election," he said after the rally. "This is not a red state, and it's certainly not a blue state. It is currently a non-voting state."
The former El Paso congressman, 2018 U.S. Senate nominee and 2020 presidential contender officially announced his campaign in a video posted to YouTube on Monday, Nov. 15.
O'Rourke has made multiple campaign stops in Austin in the past, including one in 2018 with Willie Nelson when he was running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) for U.S. Senate, and another in 2019 during his presidential campaign.
Other candidates for the 2022 gubernatorial election include incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Allen West (R), Don Huffines (R), Chad Prather (R), Deirdre Gilbert (D) and Michael Cooper (D).
O'Rourke has been touring across the state in recent weeks, with other stops planned for Harker Heights, Sugar Land, Galveston and more in the near future.
To learn more about the event, click here.
Watch the full rally below.
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