O'Rourke announced that his bid for governor is a response to the failure of the Texas power grid last winter, saying that the people "were abandoned" by their leaders, who he believes does not have the trust of citizens.
In his campaign ad, O'Rourke condemns Texas' pro-life law prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Objections to this law are already pushing through the court system. He also takes issue with Texas' efforts to legalize permitless gun carry, stressing that citizens are more preoccupied with Medicaid expansions and authorizing marijuana.
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It was in 2019 that O'Rourke said, during his presidential run, "Hell yes, we're gonna take your AR-15." O'Rourke failed in that bid.
"Most of us understand the responsibility that comes with owning a firearm, and we will vigorously protect that Second Amendment right and also protect the lives of those around us," he told The Texas Tribune, calling them weapons designed for the battlefield. "But I think most of us also understand that we should not have military-style weapons used against our fellow Texans. We have four of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history right here in Texas that took place over the last five years."
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O'Rourke is a former congressman serving El Paso, and lost in his campaign to take Ted Cruz's senate seat in 2018. That race, though, gained national attention, and that attention, along with the $80 million he raised in that effort, encouraged him to seek the presidency.
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"If you own that gun, keep that gun. Nobody wants to take it away from you, at least I don't want to do that," he said in 2018 on a radio show. "To be clear … if you purchased that AR-15, if you own it, keep it. Continue to use it responsibly."
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O'Rourke proceeded to hold that stance until the fall of 2019, following the mass shooting in El Paso by a gunman motivated to kill Latinos. He suspended his campaign after the shooting – which took place in the district he represented in the House of Representatives – and relaunched it around the gun control issue, but he dropped out in October.
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Actor Matthew McConaughey is also reportedly weighing a bid for governor of Texas. McConaughey noted that he had concerns about COVID vaccine mandates for children.
Progressives endorsed O'Rourke for keeping his stance, but other observers thought his left-wing gun stance was likely to hinder him in Texas.
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