Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke came to McAllen last Saturday making it his seventh time in the Rio Grande Valley since the campaign began.
A crowd of thousands gathered at the McAllen Convention Center to hear O’Rourke speak about the upcoming election.
He was driven to the Valley by U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who came to support O’Rourke’s campaign. Kennedy spoke about O’Rourke’s dedication to the campaign compared to Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.
“He’s asking from you to give him six more years guaranteed when he showed up half the time,” Kennedy said about Cruz.
Before going on stage, O’Rourke was given a lightsaber and a bag of pan dulce from Heron Alvarez III, a nurse at McAllen Medical Center.
“You’re part of the rebellion and we’re going against the empire,” Alvarez said. “You’re Luke Skywalker, my friend, so keep it up.”
Alvarez said in an interview with The Rider that he and his fellow nurses try to do everything they can to provide service for the community.
“We help out people, we take them to the emergency room,” he said. “We aid them as best as we can, but [what] we’re noticing is that because of our policies, we’re seeing a lack of care after they get out of the hospital.”
Alvarez said he hopes O’Rourke’s possible policies can help provide more people with health care so they can afford further visits to their physicians.
O’Rourke went on stage shortly after and gave the bag of treats to Kennedy because of a comment on the livestream. He said a viewer asked Kennedy if he ever had pan dulce from McAllen.
“Heron Alvarez, who’s a nurse, my sister’s a nurse, we need to get connected,” O’Rourke said on stage. “Make sure we provide better health care to more people in this state.”
Aside from health care, O’Rourke spoke about his beliefs on the contribution of immigrant culture to Texas.
“People who have chosen us to do better for themselves and their families, leaving their comfort, their hometown, their community … but to do better for all of us, to give, to not take from the American dream,” he said.
In an interview with The Rider, O’Rourke said he visits colleges because he believes they are important to his campaign and they will be able to keep him “honest” should he become senator.
“The reason that you have found me at UTRGV, young people are where the action and the energy is right now and I am confident … they’re going to be so much of the reason for our success,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) came to support O’Rourke as well and said he focused on getting his constituents in District 15 to attend events.
“Now we need to excite them to the polls,” Gonzalez said. “And, that’s what my job is within my congressional district … to get people to not forget these beautiful speeches.”
O’Rourke will be at a CNN town hall at 6 p.m. Thursday in the McAllen Performing Arts Center. Cruz will not be at the town hall, according to published reports.
There will be a debate at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in San Antonio, but watch parties are available through both Cruz and O’Rourke’s campaign websites.
U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III talks at the McAllen Convention Center in support of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke last Saturday at the McAllen Convention Center.
