Beto O'Rourke traded his own political ambitions for a new generation of leaders who repaid the gamble with Democrats' first statewide sweep in Texas in half a century.
James Talarico won a U.S. Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa captured the governor's mansion last Tuesday, completing a clean run across every statewide office and the state House. O'Rourke credits the scale to fielding a fighter on every front.
O'Rourke seriously weighed another Senate bid before stepping aside, concluding the moment demanded something and someone new. His organization, Powered by People, joined a $30 million coordinated campaign and reached more than 110,000 new and young voters across the state this cycle.
The sweep caps a years-long organizing effort that followed two failed runs, and O'Rourke left open the possibility of returning to office himself. Look at where we are, he said. It's a beautiful new day in America.