Is it over for Robert “Beto” O’Rourke?
The one-time media darling-turned-struggling presidential candidate is putting his presidential campaign “on pause” in the wake of a mass shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
Bloomberg reports:
Beto O’Rourke has canceled campaign appearances in Iowa, deciding to remain in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, as it grieves a mass shooting rather than participate in what is considered a key campaign opportunity at the Iowa State Fair. …
In a statement to the Associated Press, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said it was “unconscionable” that O’Rourke’s decision to take time off from the campaign trail would be turned into speculation about the “horse race.”
“Beto is staying in El Paso to support his hometown that was the target of a terrorist attack, inspired by the words of Donald Trump,” Dillon said in the statement. “Now more than ever, this country needs the honest leadership Beto continues to demonstrate — and that is why he running for president.”
But a new poll released today shows O’Rourke’s support in the early state crashed from 6 percent in April to less than 1 percent in August. – read more