SAN ANGELO, Texas — More than a week after announcing his gubernatorial run, Texas politician Robert Francis "Beto" O’Rourke visited Abilene and San Angelo. The goal of his trip across Texas is to hear the concerns of Texas residents and gain trust within communities.
O’Rourke is hoping for a nomination to get him closer to ending Gov. Greg Abbott's two-term governorship. Among several issues O'Rourke addressed were attacking the state government’s response to the winter storm earlier this year and ensuring educators are treated well statewide.
"I wanna make sure we're investing in teachers and public school educators who are underpaid against the average American educator and teacher. They should be receiving the salaries that match the value they provide to our communities and that we attract and retain the very best," O’Rourke said during his stop in San Angelo, where there was a large turnout of supporters eager to have questions answered.
O’Rourke said he wants Texans to know he can be trusted and will stick to his word throughout his campaign.
"I’m glad I could have a great conversation with the community about how we do some things that all of us whether we're republicans or democrats can agree on. Creating more and better jobs, ensuring that we have the best public schools anywhere in America are some of the many goals I plan to accomplish," O’Rourke said.
A new poll by the Dallas Morning News and UT Tyler released over the weekend was concluding as O’Rourke was making his announcement, so it is not the clearest view on the topic. It does, however, follow previous polling with Abbott leading by 5.4 percentage points in the new poll.
