The former Texas congressman has turned to cable television to help jump-start his presidential campaign.
By Jenna Johnson Jenna Johnson National political correspondent covering campaigns and voters Email Bio Follow May 22 at 2:25 PM IOWA CITY — As presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke strode onto the stage at a CNN town hall Tuesday night, Teresa Schneider was seated in a college bar next to a claw machine filled with stuffed animals, hopeful that this appearance would mark a turn for the former Texas congressman’s campaign.
Less than two months ago, O’Rourke’s supporters hosted more than 1,000 watch parties in all 50 states to witness the formal launch of his campaign on a Saturday morning. On Tuesday night, there were only about 70 such gatherings to watch his first televised town hall — and more than a third of those were held in his home state of Texas.
The core group that chose CNN over trivia included Schneider, who locked onto O’Rourke after watching his February interview with Oprah Winfrey, and her 77-year-old mother, Connie McCall, a retired nurse who still hasn’t decided whom she will caucus for next year. They were joined by Brad Adams, 41, a self-described “political junkie” who flips houses for a living and recently moved to nearby Coralville from Missouri.
Throughout the evening, Adams bounced between watching O’Rourke on CNN and the St. Louis Blues hockey team on a much larger screen over the bar. The Blues ended up beating the San Jose Sharks, blowing through expectations and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. “If we lose in 2020, it’s over,” Adams said. “It’s over . . . I have an 18-year-old daughter and I want all of her rights to be available to her.”
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