O’Rourke, Schumer huddle on possible 2020 bid: report

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke reportedly met with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as the Texas Democrat considers the possibility of a 2020 White House bid or another run for Senate.

According to Politico, the two men sat down last week and discussed O’Rourke’s political ambitions. 

{mosads}Both O’Rourke and fellow Texan Julian Castro, former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Obama, are thought to have the best chances to defeat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), whose seat is up for grabs in 2020, the news outlet noted. Castro has already announced a 2020 White House bid.

A source close to Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Julian Castro’s twin brother, told Politico that Joaquin Castro “believes Beto could beat John in 2020, and if Beto decides to see this thing through and do that, then Joaquin will give him his full support, just like he did against Ted Cruz.”

“Otherwise, Joaquin will absolutely consider jumping in and finishing the job,” the source added.

Schumer’s office declined to comment to Politico on the meeting, and O’Rourke’s office didn’t respond to the news outlet’s request for more information.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month, O’Rourke said that he was close to making a decision on whether to launch a 2020 presidential campaign. If he did, he would join an already crowded field that contains Castro among others including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

“Even saying these words, it’s hard to believe that I met with Barack Obama and I’m saying it to Oprah Winfrey,” O’Rourke told Winfrey.

“You seem like you’re getting ready to run,” Winfrey responded.

The former lawmaker made headlines again earlier this week when he headlined a counter-rally on the same night as President Trump’s visit to El Paso to speak on border security issues.

–This report was updated at 10:05 a.m.