Beto O'Rourke Hasn't Made Up His Mind About Presidential Run, Decision Could Be Months Away

Beto O'Rourke isn't close to making up his mind on whether to run for president in 2020, telling a Politico reporter in El Paso Friday that a decision might take months.The former El Paso congressman, fresh off a road trip that he documented on Medium, said family concerns and the exhausting Senate race against Republican Ted Cruz are factors in a decision about whether to enter the Democratic presidential primaries. O'Rourke made the comments to Politico after a speech to about 100 people in downtown El Paso benefiting Annunciation House, a shelter that has helped out migrants stranded in the border city."There's an exhaustion after an effort like that, that I'm learning is hard to recover from," O'Rourke told Politico. "You don't snap back."O'Rourke has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate ever since his unlikely yet close race against Cruz, during which he became a national figure. He was among the top three candidates in an early Iowa poll, and has been the target of "Draft Beto" movements. He responded to an audience member's question by saying he hasn't been in touch with other candidates about joining a presidential ticket and said if he doesn't run for president, he's considering teaching.Although the Democratic presidential field continues to grow and includes fellow Texan and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, O'Rourke told Politico that he's not on a timetable."There are people who are smarter on this stuff and study this stuff and are following this and say you've got to do it this way or get in by this point or get in in this way if you were to get in," O'Rourke said. "I think the truth is that nobody knows right now the rules on any of this stuff. I think the rules are being written in the moment." His comments came even as his former advisers are talking with potential staffers and planning a 2020 campaign organization, Politico reported. But O'Rourke said his former campaign advisers aren't working at his direction right now.  Continue reading...