Beto O’Rourke’s big announcement tops the week in Texas politics

This week in Texas politics with The Texas Tribune.

By Alexandra Hart & Wells DunbarNovember 19, 2021 12:39 pm, , , ,

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott finally has a major Democratic challenger, with Beto O’Rourke officially announcing his candidacy for governor this week.

Texas Tribune political reporter James Barragán calls O’Rourke’s entry into the race “the biggest unkept secret of the political season,” and noted that for many politics watchers, the decision was “more of a question of when, not if.”

O’Rouke’s campaign raised $2 million within 24 hours, in a sign of the enthusiasm his entry has caused among Democrats, Barragán noted. But after two political losses and newfound responsibility as the head of the Democratic slate in 2022, how this campaign unfolds remains to be seen.

Rounding out the discussion of the week in Texas politics: Democrat Jay Kleberg enters the race for Texas land commissioner; and the U.S. Department of Education investigates Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, which is under public scrutiny for conflict between parents and the school board over so-called critical race theory. Listen to the conversation in the audio player above.

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