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O'Rourke: Voters May Not Want White Male President

“The government at all levels is overly represented by white men,” former Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas said before announcing his 2020 presidential bid.
Beto O'Rourke attends the 'Running with Beto' Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 09, 2019 in Austin, Texas. O'Rourke has officially entered the 2020 presidential race. MATT WINKELMEYER/GET

Beto O'Rourke attends the 'Running with Beto' Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 09, 2019 in Austin, Texas. O'Rourke has officially entered the 2020 presidential race. MATT WINKELMEYER/GET

Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the 2020 presidential race, joining a crowded field of contenders hoping to unseat President Donald Trump.

However, in an interview this week O'Rourke, 46, said that he can already think of at least one reason why Americans might not want to see him in the Oval Office: because he's another "white man."

In an interview with Vanity Fair, O'Rourke acknowledged that the U.S. government "at all levels is overly represented by white men."

“That’s part of the problem, and I’m a white man," O'Rourke said.

Noting that "there are some really great candidates out there right now," including candidates of color and women who would be able to bring greater diversity to the U.S.'s all-male and predominantly white presidential line of succession,  O'Rourke said he understands why people would not want another white man for president. 

"I totally understand people who will make a decision based on the fact that almost every single one of our presidents has been a white man, and they want something different for this country," he said. "And I think that’s a very legitimate basis upon which to make a decision."

O'Rourke said that if he was elected, however, he would strive to ensure that his administration "looked like this country."

"It's the only way I know to meet that challenge," he added.

O'Rourke reportedly confirmed his plans to throw his hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential race in a text message to Texas TV station KTMS of El Paso on Wednesday. 

The Democrat, who previously served as a representative for El Paso, reportedly told the TV station that he was proud of "what El Paso represents," calling it "a big part of why I'm running. This city is the best example of this country at its best." 

 

On Thursday, O'Rourke officially announced his campaign in an on-camera appearance with his wife Amy, saying he was proud to share that he is "running to serve" Americans "as the next president of the United States of America."

"This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us," he said. "The challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate have never been greater and they will either consume us or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America."

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"In other words, this moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country and for everyone inside of it," he said. 

While O'Rourke has been touted for months as a potential contender to take on Trump, recent polling averages for the Democratic presidential nomination currently show him trailing in sixth place behind former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.

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Beto O'Rourke attends the 'Running with Beto' Premiere 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 09, 2019 in Austin, Texas. O'Rourke has officially entered the 2020 presidential race.  MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY

Source: Newsweek:

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