In terms of whether he would seek the help of President Biden during his campaign, O'Rourke told reporters that he did not want Biden or anyone else in Washington, D.C., for that matter, to get involved in the campaign, according to The Dallas Morning News.
"I’m not interested in any national politician — anyone outside of Texas — coming into this state to help decide the outcome of this," stated O'Rourke. "I think we all want to make sure that we’re working with, listening to and voting with one another here in Texas."
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"No one in Washington, D.C., right now can help us with the challenges that we have," he then went on to say. "This one is on all of us." O'Rourke presented recent decisions made by Congress and the Supreme Court regarding the U.S. election overhaul legislation and the Texas abortion law as evidence that Democrats in Texas have to go it on their own. The controversial laws have led to hundreds of rejected mail-in ballots in recent weeks, according to the newspaper.
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O’Rourke's comments reportedly came during an Austin news conference in which he announced his campaign would connect with 2 million voters in February to teach them about the new voting laws.
O'Rourke, a former congressman, announced his campaign to oust Abbott in November following unsuccessful bids for the Senate and the presidency. His disinterest in Biden's services comes amid plunging approval ratings for the President, with a recent Quinnipiac poll showing his approval at 33%.
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He has touted himself as a unity candidate and railed against “fringe policies and incompetence that we see in Texas today.” “I am running for governor to serve ALL of the people of Texas,” he added in his campaign announcement. “I believe that the only way we are going to achieve great things for this state is by looking out for each other and moving forward together.”
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O'Rourke's comments came less than two weeks after Democrat Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was conspicuously absent at speeches Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made in her home state about voting rights. Abrams declined to attend, citing a "schedule conflict."
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Republicans acknowledged the bad optics of Abrams refusing to meet with the President of the United States. Despite that, she and her campaign pushed back against "false rumors" that she did not want to be seen with him. They did not elaborate on the cause of her schedule conflict.