Beto O’Rourke questioned Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott about a tragic school shooting in Uvalde that murdered 19 students and two teachers at a news conference on Wednesday. During the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, the former congressman used his position to advocate for stricter gun control measures, including a mandatory assault weapon buyback program.
A racist slaughter at a Walmart in El Paso in August 2019 heightened his interest in the issue. However, he was unrepentant about the attitude in a Democratic debate the following month, prompting a swift backlash from Republicans and going farther than the views of most of his opponent’s primary contenders.
What did Beto O’Rourke have to say to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott?
O’Rourke approached the press conference table, which was populated by several government officials, including Abbott. At the news conference, speakers can be heard telling the Democratic gubernatorial candidate to “sit down” and that he is “out of line.” The official referred to O’Rourke as “an embarrassment” at one point. As O’Rourke approaches the stage, security pulls him away from the table. Some of O’Rourke’s comments to the speakers, though, are incoherent.
According to O’Rourke:
“Gov. Abbott, I have to say something; the moment to stop the next shooting is now, and you are doing nothing; you said that this is unpredictable.” This is completely foreseeable.”
Despite many horrible killings in Texas, Abbott has presided over a relaxation of gun laws. Observers at the press conference had a variety of responses. As O’Rourke walked out, one audience member yelled, “Go home!” while another screamed, “Let him speak!”
You are my hero @BetoORourke. From the bottom of my heart, for my daughter Jaime and all victims of gun violence, thank you. pic.twitter.com/zW3msBSmo3
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) May 25, 2022
Before addressing the audience, Abbott remained mute throughout the crowd’s remarks and O’Rourke’s interruption, saying:
“There are relatives… As we talk, there are family members who are sobbing. Family members’ hearts have been crushed. There are no words that someone yelling up here can accomplish anything with.”
What information is available about Beto O’Rourke?
Beto O’Rourke is a fourth-generation Texan who grew up in El Paso and has worked as a small business owner, city council member, and congressman. He founded and now leads Powered by People, a Texas-based nonprofit that employs direct voter engagement and voter registration to promote democracy and generate Democratic wins.
Beto O’Rourke is the Democratic Party’s candidate for Governor of Texas. He will be on the general election ballot on November 8, 2022. He won the Democratic primary on March 1, 2022. O’Rourke announced his campaign for Governor of Texas in a video posted on Twitter on November 15, 2021. O’Rourke has run three times since his lost Senate race in 2018.
In 2020, O’Rourke ran for President of the United States as a Democrat. He declared his candidacy on March 14, 2019. On November 1, 2019, O’Rourke declared the end of his presidential campaign. O’Rourke served in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019, representing Texas’ 16th Congressional District. However, O’Rourke campaigned for the United States Senate as a Democrat in Texas in 2018. Senator Ted Cruz (R) beat O’Rourke in the general election by three percentage points. Beto is married to Amy O’Rourke, and the couple lives in El Paso’s historic Sunset Heights area with their three children.
