Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex) is coming off the high of winning the Texas Democratic primary and is headed straight to the polls in November to take on Ted Cruz for his seat in the senate. O’Rourke spoke at SXSW this year specifically on campaign financing and how he has built his entire campaign on small donations free of Super PACs. His session was not only eye opening into how money in politics truly works, but also uplifting as O’Rourke works tirelessly to make Texas the poster child to help reform the corporate finance system in elections and politics. O’Rourke’s hope is that “what we’re doing in Texas can impact in a positive way how elections are run and won across the country.”

O’Rourke is listening to Texas, one small community at a time. He is targeting more rural areas, communities that typically vote red, and is listening to everyone. He is continuing his campaign in the grassroots spirit that helped him win the primary. As O’Rourke said through an anecdote, anyone who is a candidate should listen first then speak. This is what’s interesting about O’Rourke,  and while he identifies as a progressive Democrat, party lines do not matter to him as he hopes to unify and help Texans everywhere by listening to everyone.

Thanks to his Field Coordinator, Cynthia Cano, and Communications Director, Chris Evans, I was able to get an interview at the Hilton with O’Rourke as he walked to his next event.