MCALLEN, Texas – Former Congressman Rubén Hinojosa has endorsed Beto O’Rourke for Governor of Texas.
The two met up Friday afternoon at Lark Community Center, one of the early voting locations in north McAllen.
“I am here with my wife Marti to publicly and unconditionally endorse Beto O’Rourke for governor. He is the best of the candidates,” Hinojosa told the Rio Grande Guardian.
“Having served in Congress 20 years, ten of them with Beto O’Rourke, when he was the congressman from El Paso, I can tell you I worked closely with him and he was outstanding.”
In front of a group of noisy supporters, O’Rourke said: “It means the world to me that we have Congressman Hinojosa here. He has provided so much leadership for this community. Whether it was fighting for veterans to make sure they got the care they deserved, that they earned, or bringing more resources to the Valley, or fighting for world class education and the resources for higher ed, this guy has been here for the community, delivering the resources, the focus and the attention.”
O’Rourke said he would be looking for guidance from Hinojosa when he takes over the reins in Austin.
“I want to make sure I follow his lead and that I am your partner as the next governor of the great state of Texas,” O’Rourke said, to loud applause.
“It means the world for us to be here and we are going to make sure that the next governor of the state of Texas does not see the border as a threat or a problem but instead as an opportunity to invest in the schools, expand Medicaid, make sure that the best jobs in America are created right here in the Valley.”
Hinojosa represented the 15th Congressional District of Texas from 1997 to 2017. He served on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Education.
“It is an honor for us to have a candidate of the quality and with the qualifications that Beto O’Rourke has. I can vouch for him because in the 20 years that you sent me to Washington to represent this area, ten of those years were with Beto O’Rourke and he was absolutely outstanding,” Hinojosa told the crowd.
“I want to say that we will improve the quality of life in all of the areas he mentioned to you such the veterans, such as education, such as healthcare, such as immigration, all those are issues that are very, very, important.”
Hinojosa added: “I can say that when I first went to Congress there were 500,000 people in this area. Now we are 1.5 million. Because we are doing so well in all those areas we spoke about, we want him (O’Rourke) to take us even higher. Let’s get all our family members, all of our friends, to get out and vote early. Thank you.”
Editor’s Note: Calling all candidates in the March primaries.
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