BETO O'ROURKE

Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke failed to build off his narrow loss in the 2018 Texas Senate election, losing to incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott by 11 percentage points.

AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Stacey Abrams and Beto O'Rourke catapulted to Democratic stardom in 2018 by defying expectations and nearly pulling off upsets in Georgia and Texas. And voters who have had Abrams or O'Rourke on their ballots twice now have hardened in their opinions of them. “It’s not as simple as looking at the two races and assuming that Raphael Warnock is so obviously a better candidate than Stacey Abrams,” he said. Regardless of whether Abrams and O'Rourke run again, Democrats in Georgia and Texas shudder at the idea of them receding into private life. Texas Democrats, meanwhile, are now back to recalibrating their hopes again, with or without O'Rourke.

Stacey Abrams and Beto O’Rourke catapulted to Democratic stardom in 2018 by defying expectations and nearly pulling off upsets in Georgia and Texas.

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, has now burned about $175 million running failed bids for the White House, Senate and governor after his latest flop.

Beto O'Rourke and Stacey Abrams were mocked by conservatives for having lost multiple elections over the past four years despite being well funded and having favorable press.

Abbott, 64, strengthened his position as a potential 2024 presidential contender and secured his place as the state's second-longest serving governor. More than 4 in 10 Texas voters rank the economy as the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of almost 3,400 voters. O’Rourke did not say during a relentless yearlong campaign across Texas whether this run for governor would be his last. O'Rourke tried to animate Democratic voters over the Uvalde shooting and Abbott signing an abortion ban that made no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Parents of some of the Uvalde victims rallied behind O’Rourke and lashed out at Abbott in campaign events and television ads.

As an incumbent with strong conservative credentials, Greg Abbott defied Democrats’ hopes that Beto O’Rourke could finally turn Texas blue.

AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Republican Texas Gov. O'Rourke also has sought to animate voters over Abbott signing an abortion ban that makes no exceptions for rape or incest. More than 4 in 10 Texas voters rank the economy and jobs as the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 3,200 voters. Roughly 8 in 10 Texas voters say the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion, was a factor in their votes. A day after the Uvalde shooting, O'Rourke interrupted an Abbott news conference, telling him, "This is on you," in reference to the governor's opposition of tougher gun measures.

Five months later, Texas state police still face pressure for failing to confront the gunman sooner at Robb Elementary School. O'Rourke said the shooting, one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history, crystalized the stakes of the election as Abbott waved off calls for tougher gun laws. But Abbott, 64, has remained formidable in a state where Republicans have won every governor's race since 1994. O'Rourke's hard-charging challenge has rekindled Democrats' hopes while appealing to voters soured by the Uvalde shooting, a strict new abortion ban and the deadly collapse of the state's power grid in winter 2021. A day after the shooting in Uvalde, O'Rourke interrupted an Abbott news conference, telling him, "This is on you," in reference to the governor's opposition of tougher gun measures.

Hollywood stars are urging their followers to get out and vote in the midterm elections. Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez and Rob Schneider have shared their endorsements on social media.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has won a third term following one of the most expensive races of the 2022 midterm elections.

Chris Pratt endorsed Democrat Rick Caruso in his bid for Los Angeles mayor ahead of Tuesday's election. Caruso is up against Congresswoman Karen Bass.

Oprah Winfrey endorsed another Democratic candidate with Beto O'Rourke for Governor of Texas. O'Rourke is running against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas early voting in the Greater Houston Area was down 7-10%, while key demographics that Democrats typically rely on showed the steepest decline compared to 2018.

Democratic candidates in next week's midterms are being mocked for videos posted on TikTok and other social media, with one user asking, "Why do they keep doing this?"

AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Families of some of the 19 children killed in the Uvalde school massacre commemorated the Day of Dead with a rally, procession and a decorated altar outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday night. Greg Abbott carrying the altar, chose the location to again demand tougher gun laws in Texas following the May shooting at Robb Elementary School. They have been most vocal about raising the age to purchase AR-15-style rifles from 18 to 21. “We are here today celebrating our children's lives,” said Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter Lexi Rubio died in the Uvalde shooting, “but also trying to reach out to parents on a personal, on a mom and dad level. ___For more AP coverage of the Uvalde school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shootingFollow AP's coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-electionsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Families of some of the 19 children killed in the Uvalde school massacre commemorated the Day of Dead with a rally, procession and decorated altar outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday night.

The Uvalde school massacre has cast a long shadow in the midterm elections in Texas, intensifying Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign against Democrat Beto O’Rourke and driving a blitz of television ads.

Presidential aspirants running for reelection while dreaming of the highest office in the land often face an uncomfortable question: Will they commit to serving a full term — should they win one — when their best moment to take a shot at the White House may come sooner than that.

Next month, South Dakotans will decide whether to expand Medicaid to 42,500 state residents. Democratic candidates elsewhere are making it a part of their pitch to flip GOP-held governors' offices.

Many of the 39 Native American tribes based in Oklahoma have played a role in state politics for decades, often quietly and behind the scenes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's reelection campaign is focused more on his political future and overhauling the Democratic Party's messaging than on his race.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams and Beto O'Rourke are struggling to recapture what one news outlet calls the "magic" from their 2018 runs.

Greg Abbott, kicking off a rally in the Texas border city of Harlingen. Border Democrats say dramatic moves to bus and fly migrants across the country will backfire with voters, but also acknowledge they can no longer coast into office. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a South Texas Democrat, switched districts to more favorable territory and is hoping to unseat her for a full term in November. Nikki Haley is set to campaign with Flores and de la Cruz on the border Monday — an unusual display of national GOP political force for South Texas. It also has a record 32 Hispanic Republican nominees on House ballots around the country, although many are underdogs.

Beto O'Rourke gained an endorsement from Harry Styles during the singer's "Harry's House" concert at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

While recent polls have shown O'Rourke trailing Abbott by around 7 points, this still could be the closest Texas governor's race in years.

Beto O'Rourke dodged a debate question on Friday night asking if he would confiscate AR-15's, as he said in a 2019 Democrat primary debate.

On abortion, which is now banned in Texas, Abbott didn't waver over signing a law that allows no exceptions for rape victims as the restrictions create stumbles for some Republicans who have been wary of voter backlash. But Abbott was more assured while defending his dramatic steps on the Texas border that are the centerpiece of his campaign for a third term. “We are eight years into his time as governor, and this is what we have on our border,” O'Rourke said. Abbott has said that raising the age would be “unconstitutional" because of recent court rulings, an assessment criticized by legal experts. We want to end school shootings," Abbott said of raising the age to purchase AR-15-style weapons.

EDINBURG, Texas — (AP) — Parents of some of the 19 children killed in the Uvalde school massacre in Texas lashed out at Republican Gov. Their frustration previewed what O'Rourke, who joined the families, is poised to use as one of his sharpest attacks during the hourlong debate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The families arrived on a charter bus that drove more than 250 miles (402 kilometers) from Uvalde to the border city of Edinburg. Uvalde families have put at the top of their demands raising the minimum age to purchase an AR-15-style rifle like the one used in the shooting from 18 to 21 years old. But as Texas Democrats also know, those same issues have failed to carry them in past elections.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said during a debate against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke that Texas would send busloads of migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to more cities.

AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Beto O'Rourke spent his 50th birthday this week behind the wheel of his pickup in Texas, fast approaching a big moment in his uphill climb for governor. "Here's the way I see it: Most Texans are just beginning to tune into this election," O'Rourke said in an interview. But as Texas Democrats also know, those same issues have failed to carry them in past elections. To say O'Rourke has been here before would be true of just about anywhere in Texas. Villalba, who now runs the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, said O'Rourke has had to overcome “baggage” from his presidential campaign.

The stakes are high for Democrat Beto O’Rourke on Friday night in his only debate against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's reelection campaign said that two volunteers were assaulted while they were knocking on doors in a Houston suburb on Saturday.

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke said on Saturday that he doesn't regret confronting Gov. Abbott and other officials after the Uvalde shooting in May.

Texas Democrat candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke blamed Biden and other Democrats for disregarding the Latino vote and pushing the demographic to the right.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for an overhaul of Democrats' political strategy.

Sara Carter reported live from El Paso on "Hannity" where groups of migrants were living on the street and congregating in the intermodal bus station.

Both Democrats and Republicans are aggressively targeting South Texas.

Greg Abbott on Wednesday pushed back on calls by Uvalde families for new gun control measures in Texas, saying that raising the minimum age to purchase weapons like the one used in the Robb Elementary School massacre would be “unconstitutional." In the wake of the tragedy, some Uvalde parents are pressuring lawmakers to raise the minimum age in Texas to purchase similar weapons to 21 years old. The ruling encouraged gun rights groups that other age-based gun bans would be overturned in courts. Sanford Levison, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, said Abbott spoke with too much certainty about lower age limits being unconstitutional. Last weekend, several Uvalde families rallied with gun rights groups in front of the Texas Capitol, calling for stricter gun measures and bringing lawmakers back to pass new restrictions.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing back on calls by Uvalde families for new gun control measures in Texas in wake of the Robb Elementary School massacre.

O'Rourke is running against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to unseat him in November.

The El Paso Democrat says he is resting at home based on his doctors’ recommendation but will return soon to the campaign trail.

Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke says he has cleared his campaign schedule after receiving treatment at a San Antonio hospital for an unspecified bacterial infection.

The Democratic candidate for Texas governor will be resting at home in El Paso, he said.

Anticipation has been growing all year for one of the fall’s likeliest bestsellers, Colleen Hoover’s “It Starts With Us.”.

The entire elections staff in a rural Texas county has quit less than three months before November's midterm elections.

In conservative Gillespie County, the elections administrator and her two deputies have resigned, with at least one citing threats fueled by misinformation.

Voters like to see a sense of authenticity in candidates, especially in Texas. But cursing and vulgar language in front of children and the elderly more often than not crosses the line.

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke unleashed a profanity-laced outburst Wednesday, breaking his previous pledge to no longer use the F-word.

Election 2022 Texas Governor O'Rourke FILE - Beto O'Rourke, Democratic candidate for Texas governor, speaks during a town hall meeting at the McAllen Creative Incubator Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in McAllen,Texas. (Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP, File) (Delcia Lopez)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke responded to a heckler at a campaign stop with an expletive after the Texas gubernatorial candidate heard a cackled laugh while criticizing the ease with which the Uvalde elementary school gunman legally purchased an AR-15-style rifle. Greg Abbott, O'Rourke's opponent in November, though it does not show who O'Rourke was specifically addressing. Chris Evans, a campaign spokesman, said the town hall continued without any further encounters. He has sought to give a more moderated message on firearms during his run for governor in gun-friendly Texas.

Beto O'Rourke wasn't having it, confronting a heckler laughing over Uvalde. "It may be funny to you, (expletive). But it’s not funny to me."

The House has voted to restore abortion rights nationwide in Democrats' first legislative response to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade. (July 15)

Election 2022 Texas Governor FILE - Democrat Beto O'Rourke listens to a volunteer before a Texas Organizing Project neighborhood walk in West Dallas on June 9, 2021. O'Rourke raised $32 million in the first half of 2022 in his run for Texas governor, his campaign announced Friday, July 15, 2022, keeping his challenge against Republican Gov. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) (LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke on Friday reported raising nearly $32 million in his bid for Texas governor during the first half of 2022, more than Republican Gov. The new figures, released as campaign finance reports were due in Texas, put Abbott in the rare position of finding himself outraised. During the same four-month period, Abbott's campaign said it raised nearly $25 million.

Election 2022 Texas Governor FILE - Democrat Beto O'Rourke listens to a volunteer before a Texas Organizing Project neighborhood walk in West Dallas on June 9, 2021. O'Rourke raised $32 million in the first half of 2022 in his run for Texas governor, his campaign announced Friday, July 15, 2022, keeping his challenge against Republican Gov. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) (LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Democrat Beto O'Rourke on Friday reported raising nearly $32 million during the first half of 2022, keeping his challenge against Texas Republican Gov. O'Rourke sharpened his attacks on Abbott after both events, calling for new firearm restrictions that the two-term governor does not support and reinstating abortion access. O'Rourke remains an underdog in Texas, where no Democrat has won a statewide race in nearly 30 years.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke has raised nearly $32 million in his bid for Texas governor during the first half of 2022.

President Joe Biden’s top political advisers are bracing for big election losses in November.

O'Rourke said AR-15s and AK-47s are "designed to kill humans," and that those who currently own such weapons shouldn't be allowed to keep them.

O'Rourke said AR-15s and AK-47s are "designed to kill humans," and that those who currently own such weapons shouldn't be allowed to keep them.

Texas School-Shooting-O'Rourke Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to the press after he was kicked out for interrupting a news conference headed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in Uvalde, Texas Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Last week, following the massacre of 19 elementary school students and two teachers by an 18-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle in Uvalde, Texas, O'Rourke — now campaigning for governor — again briefly seized the national political spotlight. It's too early to tell what will happen in the governor's race, but the shooting has already affected both parties. ___More on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas: https://apnews.com/hub/school-shootings.

Democratic Texas governor’s race candidate Beto O’Rourke is hoping the Uvalde school shooting can reset the contest in America’s largest red state.

The convention kicked off in the same state where 19 children and two adults were killed earlier in the week.

This isn't the first time the NRA has held its convention days after a nearby mass shooting. Some politicians and musicians are dropping out, and gun control advocates are preparing protests.

One by one, speakers took the stage at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston and denounced the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school across the state.

APTOPIX Texas School Shooting Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who is running against Greg Abbott for governor in 2022, interrupts a news conference headed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in Uvalde, Texas Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Greg Abbott was wrapping up his opening remarks about the killing of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, when Beto O'Rourke strode forward from his seat in the audience. And with that, the briefing transformed into an argument similar to the one happening in many corners of America after yet another school shooting that inflicted a shocking death toll — 19 children and two teachers. Even with the violence in Chicago that Abbott cites, Illinois too posts a lower firearms death rate than Texas.

"If we do nothing, we will continue to see this," O'Rourke said, "year after year, school after school, kid after kid."

Local and state officials in Texas release more information, while Americans across the nation continue to express shock and grief at the massacre.

A father whose fourth-grade daughter was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school and raised the idea of charging into the school with several other bystanders.

The small community of Uvalde, Texas is grieving one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history as assistance — and the national political spotlight – descends on the area.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke has blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for inaction on gun control.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will face Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke after voters in Texas opened what could be a lengthy, bruising primary season.

The 2022 midterm election season opens Tuesday in Texas.

Early voting in the first primary of the 2022 midterm elections are underway in Texas.

President Joe Biden will appear in Pittsburgh on Friday as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House’s achievements in key states before the midterm elections.

President Joe Biden has visited the bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed just hours before his previously scheduled trip to promote his infrastructure package — a new law that aims to prevent just such disasters.

Money is pouring fast into the Texas governor’s race headlined by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

Democrat Beto O’Rourke is running for governor of Texas.

Texas Republicans are trying to shore up their slipping dominance in America’s biggest red state with redrawn voting maps.

Texas Republicans have advanced bills that would make voting harder in a state that already has some of the nation’s toughest restrictions after hundreds spoke against the proposals.

Some Texas Democrats say they're ready to stage a second walkout to again stop one of America’s most restrictive voting measures.

Former Florida Congressman Allen West says he’ll challenge Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for the Republican nomination next year.

Former Texas congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is contemplating a new political decision.

The ranks of big corporations now criticizing GOP efforts to restrict voting access are spreading to Texas.

Former Democratic congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks against new proposed voting restrictions at the Texas Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Proposed legislation before the GOP-led state Senate and House mirrors a nationwide campaign by Republicans that aims to restrict voting even more, with rules Democrats say disenfranchise racial and ethnic minorities. AdAmy Litzinger, of Austin, is among Texans who say the very health issues keeping her from testifying before lawmakers in person will also penalize her if stricter voting legislation becomes law. Brian Kemp drew protests Thursday when he signed into law a sweeping GOP-sponsored overhaul of state elections — and the fights will undoubtedly end up in the courts. AdBack in Austin, Jose Colon Uvalles was back at the Capitol again Friday to advocate against voting restrictions.

Former Democratic congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks against new proposed voting restrictions at the Texas Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Acacia Coronado)AUSTIN, Texas – A procedural gaffe on Thursday forced the abrupt end of a Texas House hearing on a Republican-backed voting restrictions bill and at least temporarily deprived more than 100 people of the chance to testify about it, including some who said they had driven hundreds of miles to be there. The bungled end to the hearing stunned an overflow room of people who had waited hours to address lawmakers, including some who said they had traveled for hours to speak against the measure known as House Bill 6. That Democrat was state Rep. Nicole Collier, the chairwoman of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. “Any delay is good," said Emily Eby, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project who had traveled from Houston for the hearing.

As the hour slipped past 2 a.m. on the East Coast, Democrat Raphael Warnock beat Republican Kelly Loeffler. King and MSNBC's Kornacki dominated their networks with headache-inducing number crunching. Warnock and Ossoff jumped to early leads, but as more votes came in, the Republicans swung in front. After midnight, the Times judged both Warnock and Ossoff had a better than 95% chance of winning. Fox News spent less time on raw numbers to showcase their prime-time stars, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

“There is no exaggeration here, the Texas state House is the key to future power in America. Holder's group has given money to 261 state legislative candidates who could influence redistricting in 11 states. Democrats are being countered financially by the Republican State Leadership Committee, which also coordinated the GOP's successful effort a decade ago. But Democrats need to flip just nine seats to take control of the state House for the first time since 2002. “If we flip the Texas House, redistricting is coming up!

Ann Grannan puts a flag on her car before a Ridin' With Biden event Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020, in Plano, Texas. Democrats in Texas are pressing Joe Biden to make a harder run at Texas with less than three weeks until Election Day. (AP Photo/LM Otero)AUSTIN, Texas – The whispers about Texas are picking up again. “They've stuck their toes in the water and they figured out that it's pretty warm,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the longtime chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. And Texas is just one Sun Belt state where Biden is making an unusual late push.

(Bob Daemmrich/Nexstar/KXAN via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Buoyed by massive fundraising success, Democratic Senate candidates are mounting a push in Republican states that few would have thought possible just a few months ago, placing continued GOP control of the chamber at risk. MJ Hegar in Texas reported raising over $13 million during the same period for her race against Republican Sen. John Cornyn. In deep-red Kentucky, Amy McGrath has posted strong fundraising numbers against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In Mississippi, Mike Espy reported raising $4 million in his rematch against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. O'Rourke was criticized for being too stingy with his cash, only reluctantly aiding other Democrats, though he eventually donated large amounts to the Texas Democratic Party.

For Graham, the Republican Senate majority and Trump himself, the hearings three weeks before Election Day could be a last stand. But they're also a real-time test of whether that's enough to counter a jaw-dropping $57 million fundraising haul by Graham's Democratic opponent in the South Carolina race, Jaime Harrison. He once vowed to oppose any Supreme Court confirmation hearings in presidential election years. But the days leading up to the Barrett hearings were particularly challenging for Graham. Back then, Trump had called Graham a “lightweight” and a “liberal,” and famously made public the senator's cell phone number.