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FOX News contributor Karl Rove joins ‘Fox News Primetime’ to discuss the possibility of a comeback from the former Democrat congressman<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke, a Democrat, is reportedly preparing a bid to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the Texas gubernatorial race next November.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Rourke is expected to formally announce his 2022 gubernatorial bid in Texas later this year, Axios reported Sunday, citing Texas political operatives.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Rourke, a former three-term congressman from El Paso, lost his U.S. Senate bid against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018 despite raising a record-breaking $80 million in the race that gained national attention. He later failed in his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. <\/p>\n
The former congressman is apparently hoping to restart his political career in a state politically divided by hot-button issues like abortion, immigration and COVID-19.<\/p>\n
“We hope that he\u2019s going to run,” Gilberto Hinojosa, the state chair of the Democratic Party, told Axios. “We think he\u2019ll be our strongest candidate. We think he can beat Abbott, because he\u2019s vulnerable.”<\/p>\n
Abbott\u2019s “prohibition against mask and vaccination mandates have not gone over well with Texans,” Hinojosa continued. “And with the abortion law, Republicans have raised the anger level of Texas women higher than anyone has ever seen before.” <\/p>\n
David Wysong, O’Rourke’s former House chief of staff and a longtime adviser, sought to shoot down the rumors when reached by Axios, saying, “No decision has been made.”<\/p>\n
Still, Axios reported that O\u2019Rourke has been calling political allies to solicit their advice, “leaving them with the impression that he\u2019s made his decision to run.”<\/p>\n
A new poll for the Dallas Morning News shows that O’Rourke has cut Abbott\u2019s lead from 12 percentage points to five in a hypothetical matchup, while actor Matthew McConaughey, another potential challenger, has soared to 9 percentage points ahead of the governor.<\/p>\n
Abbott\u2019s office did not return Fox News\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n