Stops in all 10 of New Hampshire’s counties in just two days – that’s Beto O’Rourke’s challenge this week.
O’Rourke’s campaign announced Monday that the former three-term congressman from El Paso, Texas will arrive in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state Tuesday for his first visit since declaring his candidacy for the White House last week.
The campaign said that O’Rourke’s visit would kick off with a meet and greet at Keene State College on Tuesday evening and that the swing “will include events in all 10 counties of the state.”
They added that O’Rourke would conclude his trip to New Hampshire on Thursday afternoon and that “additional details about the trip are forthcoming.”
The translation – the campaign itinerary appears to still be a work in progress.
O’Rourke will be introduced in Keene by 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Molly Kelly – who lives in nearby Harrisville. Kelly told the Monitor that she’s not making any endorsements at this time in the Democratic nomination race but that she’s been meeting and speaking with many of the White House contenders as they visit the Granite State.
“I view my role as making sure that the candidates feel welcome,” she said.
Word of the visit to New Hampshire came hours after O’Rourke announced a massive $6.1 million fundraising haul in the first day of his presidential campaign, the most yet by any 2020 Democratic White House hopeful. Sen. Bernie Sanders, by comparison, brought in nearly $6 million in the 24 hours after declaring his candidacy.
Meanwhile, fellow Democrats Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Jay Inslee and former governor John Hickenlooper all broke the $1 million threshold after about 48 hours, according to their campaigns. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on the other hand, raised about $300,000 on the day she launched her campaign, according to federal findings.
Senators, which O’Rourke is not, have a leg up when it comes to fundraising. They can take money from existing federal campaign accounts, while governors are largely barred from doing the same with their state accounts.
O’Rourke, who narrowly lost his bid for Senate in 2018 to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, declared his candidacy Thursday, and his ensuing swing through Iowa grabbed large crowds and extensive media coverage.
(Information from the Associated Press was utilized in this report.)