Transcripts For MSNBCW Headliners 20190520

Than ted cruz, which nobody saw coming. You look like ted kennedy. His positive message and internet savvy made him a internet sensation. But not everyone is onboard with beto. He was running a campaign of puppies and rainbows. Does this democratic favorite have what it takes to reach the white house . Why are we excited about someone who is very light on policy . Can you run a National Campaign that is about aspiration and invasion and not about a deep dive on substance and issues. A young man who has very little going for himself, except he has a great first name. Beto, beto. We saw in texas that we have a chance to be part of doing something great for this country. One, two, three. Texas. Ahead, the rise and rise of beto orourke. All the speculation ended on march 14th. Less than 24 hours after vanity fair published a cover featuring him in a pose reminiscent of ronald reagan. Beto orourke announced his candidacy for president and hit the road in iowa. Its the first stop in our campaign to be president of the United States of america. Youll see us run the largest Grassroots Campaign this country has ever seen. I hope to be able to represent you. Get out there and vote. Beto orourke catapulted in 2018 from a relatively obscure threeterm congressman to the man who took on senator ted cruz in deep red texas, and almost won. For thoughts and prayers, senator cruz, are just not going to cut it anymore. The people of texas, the children of texas, deserve action. In the end, the candidate known simply as beto fell short, but he still made an outsized impact in texas. The beto orourke effect was a real thing in texas. He turned a lot of people out to vote who would not have voted. He also turned lot of people who might not have voted for democrats to vote for democrats. That helped not only him but this whole slate of candidates. Beto also crushed fundraising records, bringing in almost 80 million without pac money. Thanks to his constant posts on facebook, beto mania didnt just sweep the state but the entire country. He would do things like go to a whataburger and skate in the parking lot. He would do his laundry on facebook live, and people would watch. People would watch him do laundry. In a time where theres so much, he penetrated. In connecticut and oregon, people had beto for senate signs. He did all that without pollsters or speechwriters. It was just beto being beto. Hes very charismatic. A very compelling speaker. Hes shown hes a fantastic fundraiser. Especially from small donors. And i think people like him. Hes our best bet to beat trump because he can bring in such a wide contingency of democratic voters and folks from the other side as well. If youre a republican and youre here, youre in the right place. If your rar democrat and youre here, youre in the right place. Democrats have compared beto to barack obama and to another political icon, a man he curiously resembles. The first time i met him, i thought oh, my god, he looks like bobby kennedy. One of the more unlikely people to appreciate betos appeal is jeff roe, a senior strategist for his opponent ted cruz. I said on election night, i cant believe anyone beat him. Hes head and shoulders above the best. Hes one of the most dynamic politicians the Democratic Party has, bar none. And the tilt and the shift left that the Democrat Party is undergoing right now, hes right in line at the right time to be the nominee for the democrats or at least be on the ticket. There are people running for president now who no one is clamoring for. Everyone is clamoring for him. If it were you, wouldnt you listen . I dont think theres a clearer contrast with trump in the Democratic Party in terms of tone than beto that really optimistic, you know, appeal to our better selves tone that beto brings. When he appears on an oprah special in february, beto made a kennedyesque call to action, asking the audience to confront the mistreatment of migrants at the border. Do not blame this on donald trump. Do not blame this on a political party. Do not blame this on someone else. If we are a democracy, then the people are the government. The government is the people. Its on every single one of us to make it right. The issue of immigration and Border Security will be a signature one for beto. That was clear in february 2019 when donald trump traveled to betos hometown of el paso for a rally. The former congressman met him with a competing demonstration. Were the living proof that this is a Safe Community because were good to each other. All of us together are going to make our stand. Here in one of the safest cities in the United States of america. Safe, not because of walls but in spite of walls. [ speaking spanish ] hes a year and a half old. For beto, who grew up bilingual among families from both sides of the border, these issues are deeply personal. He absolutely believes that a country of immigrants is a better country and that the immigrant experience in this country is fundamental to the story of america. A quarter of those who live here were born in another country. Their very presence makes us safer, more successful, stronger, more secure. Thats his issue. Its a home game for him. Not an away game. As it is for other candidates coming onto that field. Coming up later hes a relentless campaigner. The number they throw out is he knocked on 16,000 doors. Look limu. A civilian buying a new car. Lets go. Limus right. Liberty mutual can save you money by customizing your Car Insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Oh. Yeah, ive been a customer for years. Huh. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. music throughout you wouldnt accept from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. Most pills only block one. Flonase. Is that for me . Mhm aaaah nooooo. Quick, the quicker picker upper bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand. [son loudly clears throat] [mom and dad laugh] bounty, the quicker picker upper. Now with new prints featuring characters from Disney Pixars toy story 4 in theaters june 21. Together, we are making a stand for the truth. Beto orourke, former congressman from el paso, went toe to toe with President Trump in february on the issue of the border wall. The country is counting on us. Lets do it. Good if you could, would you take the wall down now here . Yes, absolutely. He grew up at a time where the border was open. Really open. The oldest of three children, Robert Francis orourke was born to pat and Melissa Orourke in el paso in september 1972. Pat was El Paso County judge. Which is kind of the top administrative position in El Paso County. His mother, melissa, comes from a business family here in town. So both his parents were very well known in the community. I grew up exposed to, you know, what its like to run a business, what its like to serve, what its like to be in politics. And not just how hard those things are and just, you know, how you get them done, but the joy that you can find in them. His childhood nickname, beto, short for roberto, or robert, would stick with him through adulthood. El paso is a very hispanic culture, so even a lot of anglo families would adopt hispanic nicknames. Pat had high hopes for his son, but beto was more of a free spirit. Chris cummings is a childhood friend. Ride skateboards and bicycles. Wander the neighborhood. Kind of looking for trouble, but not serious trouble. Growing up, betos relationship with his father was, by many accounts, complicated. What beto has told me is that pat orourke was this larger than life figure who could really suck the oxygen out of a room. But i think he was maybe not always the easiest person to have as your father. And so that was part of the reason that he ended up going to this allmale boarding school in virginia. Beto found the release from those High Expectations in the rebellious world of punk rock. Beto started his own punk band. He had this band, foss, with a few of his friend prom back in el paso. He likes an adventure. He likes a road trip, so they booked gigs where they could. Beto and his band even appeared on the local el paso talk show called lets get real with bill lowry. They werent a big deal band or anything, but they convinced a local access preacher, an evangelical preacher, to let them on his show by pretending to be a gospel band. I reached out to him later and he remembered the incident and said that guy is beto orourke . I cant believe he turned into a high functioning member of society. Beto moved to new york city in 1991 to attend columbia university. First, to study film and then english. At columbia, he opened himself up to new experiences, joining the crew team. While he was a model of determination on the boat, a more reckless side of beto emerged on a return trip to el paso. He had an arrest for essentially a burglary charge on the utep campus. He didnt steal anything, but he broke into a place he shouldnt have with a couple friends. Beto spent the night in jail. The local prosecutor dropped the charges a few months later. He returned to new york city and stayed there after graduating from columbia. Beto was basically bumming around brooklyn. He had a lot of temp jobs, odd jobs. He was a nanny for a family on the Upper West Side of new york. What he told me was he was really looking for meaning in life and what he wanted to do with his life. West texas was calling him home. But the adjustment to life back in el paso wouldnt be a straight path. In september, 1998, he was arrested a second time. This time for driving under the influence. The dui was the stupid kind of thing that people sadly do too often in their 20s. He completed a program for dui infractions and the charge was dropped. As the new millennium dawned, beto got serious about making his own mark in el paso. In 1999, he and two friends launched a Web Services Company and later an alternative newspaper and online magazine. All under the name Stanton Street. He really thought that Stanton Street could offer a truly local voice. The content was smart. It was investigative. He also i think had designs on making el paso a better place somehow. His father, retired from politics, was one of Stanton Streets more popular correspondents. Filing accounts of his solo travels on bicycle. But then in july 2001, pat orourke was hit by a car and killed. It was a shock to everyone. And i know that beto took it really hard. Beto was asked about his fathers impact on his own public service. You know, he absolutely loved life. And sorry. Its all right. Not long after pats death, the Stanton Street newspaper and online magazine folded. It was a disappointment, but it wouldnt be the last time el paso would hear from beto. Coming up, beto orourkes first run for office. Every curve, every innovation, every feeling. A product of mastery. Lease the 2019 es 350 for 379 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. burke at fso we know how ton almost evercover almost anything. Even rooftop parking. Strange forces at work . Only if youre referring to gravityand we covered it. Talk to farmers. We know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum its toughcold turkey. King so chantix can help you quit slow turkey. Along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or lifethreatening allergic and skin reactions. Decrease alcohol use. Use caution driving or operating machinery. Tell your doctor if youve had Mental Health problems. The most common side effect is nausea. Talk to your doctor about chantix. Lexus ux and ux f sport. Also available in hybrid allwheeldrive. Lease the 2019 ux 200 for 329 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. After financing issues forced him to shutter his alternative newspaper, beto orourke decided there was another way to serve el paso. I was extremely impressed with how smart he was and how passionate he was about his commitment to wanting to serve the community. He would run for city council. And Civic Engagement wasnt the only thing on betos mind. He started dating amy hoover sanders, an educator and daughter of multimillionaire Real Estate Developer bill sanders. They very quickly fell in love. And it was pretty quick after that i think maybe a year or two, and they got married. In 2005, beto hit the streets in his First Political campaign for city council. Nobody thought beto would win, and he, i think that was when he really truly began to appreciate the power in knocking on doors. And when everything was said and done, all of the incumbents were swept away. One of the first initiatives that beto and fellow Council Members had was a major revitalization of downtown el paso, but soon after its 2006 unveiling, Community Activists began pushing back on the plan. They crashed pretty hard against forces that said this Downtown Revitalization youre going to do is going to tear down this neighborhood, which was right next to the border near downtown, which is a long time historical mexicanamerican neighborhood there. One of the protest leaders was noted el paso historian david sderoto romo. We werent sold on this project that it was some kind of panacea that was going to, you know, make el paso great again. And that was actually their slogan at the time. Its kind of ironic. Betos fatherinlaw, founder of a Real Estate Development company, was the public face of the revitalization plan. Beto as a city councilman finds himself in a difficult role where hes trying to push Forward Community interests that might also benefit his fatherinlaw. And to us, mr. Orourke was just a pretty face of a very ugly plan against our most vulnerable neighborhoods. Speaking in spanish, beto tried to sell the proposal to a skeptical audience. Residents of the community had said how can you be sitting at the same dinner table with the same person, your fatherinlaw, that starts this consortium and starts this project. Beto insisted that he was doing what he saw as best for the community. Later on, bill sanders pledged he wasnt going to take any profit from it. In the end, the assurances didnt matter. The project was killed. In part by the Great Recession of 2008. Councilman orourke moved on, and in 2009, set his sights on a crisis that he saw firsthand as an el paso resident. The nations long running war on drugs. I would ask that there be some language in here that would also include rethinking our war on drugs, which by any measure i have looked at, has been an abject failure. Beto introduced a resolution ahead of its time. The city council pushed through a resolution that the country should consider having a debate about the legalization of marijuana. Beto in approaching this saw obviously the u. S. Playing a huge role in funding this drugrelated violence because we had struck this awful bargain. Well buy your drugs, well send you money. But that resolution was very unpopular with the congressman of el paso, Silvestre Reyes, who had been a former Border Patrol officer, was kind of a more conservative democrat, and thought that was going to jeopardize federal funding for the el paso area, having the city council take such a strong stand for legalization. The pressure congressman reyes brought was too much for the city council. And the idea was dropped. But just two years later, beto orourke would take on el pasos powerful congressman in a far bigger contest. Gunning for his congressional seat. Silvestre reyes was a longtime congressman. He had a lot of seniority in washington. Bill clinton campaigned on his behalf. When beto first entered the race, i think Silvestre Reyes took him lightly. Reyes had been in office for a number of years, had never faced a significant challenge. In september 2011, beto began his race and a ground game that would become the candidates trademark strategy. He obviously loves to campaign. He is really natural with meeting people. Voters in west texas were open to betos ideas and enthusiasm. But there was one obvious and unavoidable challenge for beto. Demographics. Its a really heavily mexicanamerican community, el paso. Beto is obviously not hispanic. And Silvestre Reyes is mexicanamerican, so just playing on pure identity politics, you know, a 64 irish white dude might not have had a chance. Coming up, with his opponent backed by democratic heavyweights and a firm base of support, beto would face yet another hurdle. This one from his past. If you have a garden you know, weeds are lowdown little scoundrels. Draw the line with roundup. The sure shot wand extends with a protective shield to target weeds precisely and kill them right down to the root. Roundup brand. Trusted for over 40 years. Went to ancestry, i put in the names of my grandparents first. I got a leaf right away. A leaf is a hint that is connected to each person in your family tree. I learned that my ten times great grandmother is George Washingtons aunt. Within a few days i went from knowing almost nothing to holy crow, im related to george washington. This is my cousin george. Discover your story. Start searching for free now at ancestry. Com but dad, youve got allstate. With accident forgiveness they guarantee your rates wont go up just because of an accident. Smart kid. Indeed. Are you in good hands . Donald trump is firing back at the first republican in congress to say the president has engaged in impeachable conduct. In a tweet today the president called the michigan congressman a loser and a lightweight who is just looking to get his name out there. And Bernie Sanders campaigning today in alabama days after the state passed the strictest abortion laws in the country. Now back to headliners, beto orourke. In 2011, beto orourke took on the establishment by challenging sitting texas senator Silvestre Reyes. The underdog wasnt only facing an entrenched core of reyes supporters in el paso. He was also up against reyes powerful friends in washington, d. C. To fight back, beto used a relatively new strategy, putting to use his skills on social media, reaching out to the masses for smaller donations. Beto raised, frankly, not a bad amount of money. But he wasnt going to be able to match it. With president obama and former president bill clinton voicing support for reyes, it looked like the status quo would prevail in west texas. But the cavalry in the form of a super pac was on its way. Late in the campaign, you have this super pac that gets engaged. Their purported purpose was, we believe primary elections should be more competitive, that too many people get passes in primary elections. The super pac bombed reyes with negative ads. Silvestre reyess time in Congress Adds up. Reyes claimed one of the donors with ties to the super pac was bill sanders, betos fatherinlaw, a wealthy Real Estate Developer. I think the reyes campaign was pissed. They viewed it with some anger, and they went after him, orourke, pretty hard. Beto orourke wants to be a congressman. In their own negative ads, the reyes campaign unearthed betos past. He has a criminal record that includes dwi and burglary arrests. Reyes was seizing on the arrest record, the implication i think was that beto was irresponsible. And reyes was a steady hand. The video publicly intoxicated being spanked. This video shows beto kind of on the floor dancing or writhing or whatever you want to call it. Reyes own advisers say youre looking petty, dont do that, but he continued to keep it up. Betos campaign fired back and went negative. Betos campaign seized on these reports that reyes had been giving positions and money to the people in his family. Nothing that was illegal, but stuff that seemed a little too cozy. As the race tightened, a stroke of legislative luck hit betos campaign. Congressional redistricting delayed the primary two months. Beto took full advantage and campaigned relentlessly. He was moving the needle every day. I could see it. I could feel it. The hard work paid off. Beto squeaked to victory, winning 50. 5 of the primary vote. Just enough to avoid a runoff. We knocked on the doors of over 16,000 to meet them directly in their homes, hear what they had to say, listen to their concerns, and questions and ideas. And we also went to every single debate, forum, community meeting, town hall, neighborhood association. We really wanted to meet people, talk to them, and listen to them. A huge deal. Yeah, it was a huge upset. Six months later in the heavily democratic district, beto trounced his republican opponent in the general election. The 40yearold freshman congressman arrived on capitol hill in january 2013 to make his mark. But the proud son of west texas was virtually unknown in washington. I was covering a congressional baseball practice. There was this one kind of skinny scraggly haired member of congress there. A couple people went up to him and said oh, are you soandso from soandsos Office Coming to pitch us some fastballs. He said no, actually, im beto orourke, a mib of congress. I represent el paso. Though he was a newbie, he wasnt shying away from bold ideas. Youre told to keep your head down, try to get reelected and wait until your party is in the majority. Thats not the way i approach life and not the way i would approach a challenge like this. I want to get something done. With republicans in firm control of the house, betos efforts were stymied. I dont think you can really point to any major accomplishments that beto would have had in congress in large part because the whole time he was in congress, democrats were in the minority. It was a very frustrating time for him. Throughout his three terms in congress, beto returned to a controversial issue that hit close to home. Immigration. If we build more walls, further militarize the border, were going to push the few remaining migrants who choose to cross into the u. S. , into inhospitable and deadly territory. Well see more death and suffering. He tried to bring a voice of what was really happening at the border. The border with mexico has never been safer than it is today. Betos signature issue would soon dominate the 2016 president ial election. For beto, extending the wall was a costly and fundamentally flawed solution to illegal immigration. We need to move from a defensive posture of defending the u. S. mexico border to a posture of pride and celebration of what we have here. But inciting fear of Illegal Immigrants is what helped elect the nations 45th president. We will build a great, great wall. And we will put an end to illegal immigration. The hostile Political Climate emboldened beto, and in march 2017, when a major snow storm closed airports in washington, d. C. , he decided to drive there and took a chance on an unlikely friendship with congressman will hurd. Both politicians streaming much of it live on facebook. Good morning, everybody. Morning. Thanks for joining us this morning. Will hurd is a republican who represents a neighboring district to betos. They found themselves in san antonio. All flights were cancelled into d. C. Because of a blizzard. Democrat beto orourke and republican will hurd are driving about 1600 miles from san antonio, texas, to d. C. In a rented chevy impala, they began the 1600mile road trip. Hey, america. The facebook videos of the unlikely pair of road warriors quickly went viral. Im going to shoot a shot of this. Like a buddy picture or a cop show. The two of them together, you know, eating snickers and hamburgers the entire time. And they took calls along the way. Hey, this is newt. Speaker gingrich, youre on with will and beto. You guys are making more folks this is the most bipartisan news we have had in the last couple years. They had some very deep policy discussions. Kind of kicking around ideas together. And actually were able to show that although politically, they had different stances, that they were able to identify some areas where they could work together. The two congressmen arrived the next day just in time to cast their votes on an array of public bills and resolutions. Lauded for their bipartisan adventure. The two of us had to figure out how to get there, where to stop, where to sleep. How often, you know, will had to use the bathroom. His bladder is a little smaller than mine. Where we were going to get doughnuts. What will likes in his coffee and how he orders his whataburger. To millions who followed the trip on facebook, beto was emerging as a refreshing alternative to the status quo in d. C. A genuine and relatable voice for a new generation. Was this rising star ready to step up and start the political fight of his life . Coming up when trump was elected, they felt like they had to do something. And beto talks about this a lot. He woke up and he said what am i going to say to my kids about this time . Did we do something or did we sit on the sidelines . Mpers cruisers 360 fit. With an ultra stretchy waistband and 360 fit that adapts to every wild move. Plus, up to 12 hours of protection. So anything your wild child does, cruisers can too. Our best ever fit is new cruisers 360 fit. Mmm, exactly ug Liberty Mutual customizes your Car Insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Nice but uh, whats up with your partner . Oh we just spend all day telling everyone how we customize Car Insurance because no two people are alike, so. Limu gets a little confused when he sees another bird that looks exactly like him. Ya. Hell figure it out. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. You wouldnt accept from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. Most pills only block one. Flonase. Weve had all these great people who are following and commenting and sharing with us. So its really been a fun trip. By march of 2017, with beto orourkes bipartisan road trip in the rear view, many wondered what the future held for this young charismatic politician. Beto and amy decided, and i would say its a joint run, they decided they wanted to run for senate. In true beto fashion, the announcement was broadcast on facebook live. Im running to represent the great state of texas in the u. S. Senate. He regards her absolutely as his adviser in chief, his critic in chief. So its natural for him to both want and need her participation as an equal partner and as part of a we, not an i. 45th president of the United States of america, donald j. Trump. When trump was elected, they felt like they had to do something. And beto talks about this a lot. He woke up and he said what am i going to say to my kids about this time . Did we do something or did we sit on the sidelines . Young Democratic Leaders around the nation felt the same. Rising up in resistance to take on the new establishment. But in texas, the challenge would be enormous. A democrat hadnt won a statewide election in nearly a quarter of a century. And betos opponent was a skilled campaigner himself. Im a fighter. I am passionate about what i believe. One of the last men standing against donald trump in a vicious battle for the 2016 republican president ial nomination. Ted cruz had a lot of practice. Right . And he was also supposedly this debate champion in college. Ted cruz may have had a reputation as the most hated politician in washington, but they loved him in texas. Theres only one texas. Beto, despite his appeal, was a lone star long shot. I think john cornyn famously referred to it as a suicide mission. Somebody had to be the sacrificial lamb to run against ted cruz. Might as well be this guy from el paso with no political future anyhow. Beto didnt recruit expert advisers or pollsters. He invited friends, some with no political experience, to join his team. Beto even asked close friend jody casey to be his campaign manager. I said no. Thats crazy. I dont know how to run a Senate Campaign, but we thought about it. I think my husband asher and i had the same feeling that beto and amy had. It was really our moral obligation to help him win this race because we were so concerned about the state of the country. As he had done in el paso six years earlier, beto proved never to count out the underdog. Thank you all for doing this. Very grateful. Youre exciting to me like john kennedy excited me. Over the next 15 months, beto marched across texas. Sometimes he even rolled in. On a first name basis with every stranger he meets, beto is waking up passion in democrats across the deep red state of texas. Beto pledged to visit each and every county in the state, sharing his journey on facebook live. To drive to all 254 counties. And he did. We continued to stick to betos style of being this really authentic, transparent candidate, which really caught on. We never ask whether someone is republican or democrat. We dont care about turning texas blue or keeping it red. None of that matters as much as making sure this country lives up to its potential and its promise. Town halls, rallies, the Senate Hopeful was relentless in building his base. Typical day for beto would be a 5 00 a. M. Run with constituents. Good morning, everybody. So good to see you. Thank you for coming out. He would do running town halls, essentially, where he would listen to constituents and run with them, and then he would go back to the hotel, shower, go to his next event and do five more events. Moments big and small appeared all over social media. I remember one time he was like, im going to live stream doing my laundry. We were like, hey, hide the chones, which is slang for underwear in el paso. But it was one specific moment posted on facebook from an august 2018 town hall in houston, which instantly reverberated across the nation. The question is how do you feel about nfl players who take a knee during the national anthem. I can think of nothing more american than to peaceful stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, anyplace. He gave an honest answer and an answer that a lot of progressives had wanted a politician to have the courage to say. Betos response prompted passionate reactions from hundreds of thousands of americans. Including tweet from lebron james, julia louisdreyfus, and ellen degeneres. Even though his campaign had been pretty viral to that point, this kind of launched it into a whole new stratosphere. With momentum in full swing, beto focused on the issues that the always been important to him. Immigration reform and the decriminalization of marijuana. While expanding his platform to become increasingly progressive. Ted cruzs senior strategist jeff roe recalls he started to really go left. He was talking about things he had never talked about before. Medicare for all. Bringing republicans and democrats to the table on guaranteed high Quality Universal Health care. He even called for trumps impeachment in a cnn town hall. I do think theres enough there for impeachment. If asked, i would vote on it. And astonishing number of texans were loving what they were hearing. We took congressman orourke deliberately to a red part of the state to see how his campaign would be received, how his message would be heard. We showed up at this Community College in the county where waco is, and it was like the beatles landing at jfk airport. Beto wasnt just telling progressives what they were desperate to hear. He got them to open their wallets and showed his appreciation on social media. Those of you who have contributed at betofortexas. Com, average contribution has been 25. He actually raised more money than ted cruz, which nobody saw coming. Unlike his 2012 race for a house seat, beto made a point of turning down Large Campaign contributions. A campaign that has not taken a single dime from a single Political Action committee. He didnt do it as a political stunt. He really felt like it was the right thing to do. As beto rapidly builds his war chest, grabbing National Headlines along the way, senator ted cruz took notice. By september 2018, strategists for both campaigns felt primed for the first debate. We had a small debate team, mostly young people, the prep was really just watching and understanding, you know, how ted cruz debates. Beto, he was running a campaign of puppies and rainbows. Challenged him on policy, dont let him get by on platitudes. The stage was set for cruz, the tenacious debater, to pounce on his starry eyed competitor. Gentlemen, lets begin. The first debate was challenging for us because there were some hecklers in the crowd from ted cruzs side, and it got a little ugly, and it was disappointed. Thats what congressman orourke wants to see the Supreme Court doing, writing the Second Amendment out of the bill of rights. Thats not true. Of course i support the Second Amendment. The candidates sparred over hot button issues like guns. The number one answer i heard from the students and parents and teachers at santa fe is more Armed Police Officers in schools to keep our kids safe. Listening to rhonda hart, who lost her daughter kimberly in the santa fe shooting, she tells me bringing weapons into those classrooms would not have saved her daughters life. It will not make us safer. Beto is about commonsense gun laws. Ted cruz wanted to frame beto is hes going to take all your guns and open up the borders. That wads completely unfair and not true. They also butted heads over immigration. Senator cruz has promised to deport each and every single dreamer. That cannot be the way that texas leads on this important issue. His focus seems to be on fighting for Illegal Immigrants and granting u. S. Citizenship to 12 Million People who are here illegally is a serious mistake. I think congressman orourke is out of step with texas on that. Some felt betos debate performance could have been stronger. People criticized him. Dude, hes punching you in the face, and youre not even putting up your hands, let alone punching back. In their next and final debate, recorded october 16th at cbs affiliate kens, beto went on the offensive. Hes dishonest. Its why the president called him lying ted. In the second debate, he started to punch back. Not very well. Kind of awkwardly. Didnt seem like himself. You are all talk and no action. Its clear congressman all action. Its clear his pollsters told him to come out on the attack. He regretted it. It was changing the character of the campaign he was trying to promote. Because he wasnt being who he was. We thought to ourselves oh well, the carriage turned into a pumpkin. Fairy tale over. Theyll migrate to cruz and it will be a ten point race. Beto returned to the campaign trail and back to being beto. He returned to the things he was doing that had been successful. Not doing politics as usual. With supporters out raged over President Trump immigration policy, his message of hope kp unity took hold. This idea we can scare each other about each other based on where were from. What language we spoke before with came to the country. The color or our skin, its unamerican. Its not who we are. The challenge for him and an opportunity. Is to take the same play book and apply to across 50 states. If i book direct at choicehotels. Com. Who glows . Just say, badda book. Badda boom. Book now at choicehotels. Com. Run with us. On a john deere z500 series mower. Built to mow better, faster. Because sometimes. When you take a look around. You notice. Your grass is long. Your time is short. And theres no turning back. Nothing runs like a deere™. Run with us. Visit your john deere dealer today, to test drive a z500 or z700 series ztrak™ mower. Not this john smith. Or this john smith. Or any of the other hundreds of john smiths that are humana Medicare Advantage members. No, its this john smith. Who we paired with a humana team member to help address his own specific health needs. At humana, we take a personal approach to your health, to provide care thats just as unique as you are. No matter what your name is. No matter what your name is. music throughout you know reliable support when you have it, and that dependability is what we want to give our customers. At comcast, its my job to constantly monitor our network. Prevent problems, and to help provide the most Reliable Service possible. My name is tanya, i work in the Network Operations center for comcast. We are working to make things simple, easy and awesome. Polls had us two points up. A poll that has us three points and closing. Who knows. As the senate race came down to the wire. It seemed like a miracle was taking shape in texas. Two years ago he was unknown congressman. Now hes a star in the Democratic Party. This will end up with beto orourke out performing the candidates with the traditional approach. Could he be the first democrat in nearly a quarter century to win statewide office . This will not be the typical texas election. And i think a lot of people then began to get their hopes up. He actually could do this. He never talked like a candidate who would lose. We will be celebrating the victory of our lifetime. For this state and country and generation. On election night, november 6, beto and his supporters gather in a baseball stadium. The infield was filled with people. A ton of excitement. Really long lines to get in. The crowds the enthusiasm, the hard fought campaign. And even beto himself. Were thot enough to unseat republican ted cruz. We have a big call. Out of texas. Projecting ted cruz will return to the senate. Election night was great. And then it was really sad. I believed up until we didnt win that we were going to win. Beto lost by just 200,000 votes. Out of 8 million cast. Tonights loss does nothing to diminish the way i feel about texas or this country. Beto made this amazing speech. And very much off the cuff speech. Approximate he just talked about just the love he felt along the road. And everyone that he met. All of you, showing the country how you do this. Im so proud of you guys. He lifted everybody up. And we all felt like this is incredible. What hes done. And how hes done it. And the way hes run it. Even as beto Senate Campaign ended, speculation began about a president ial run in 2020. Beto orourke hasnt confirmed. There are clues in that direction. I dont believe there was a serious conversation for the presidency until that point. One democrat after another announced plans to run for president. Beto hit the rote to do some soul serging and ponder what would be the most important decision he would ever make. A trial run before making something major hit the market. Well, in the case of a potential president i president ial campaign. Call it beto testing. The media poked fun at the weird, excellent adventure. Beto describe his experience taking the pulse of the heart land on the web site. Medium. As beto seemed to delay his decision object running the media reported doubts about his candidacy. From his fellow democrats. He was also criticized for supporting his road trip buddy. Republican congressman who won reelection and prempbted the democrats from picking up an additional seat in the house. For the first time hes being attacked from the left. Its totally fair to criticize his record. At the same time we cant have this purity test with democrats. They have to check all this boxes or theyre unacceptable. We would have no candidates. Beto orourke this morning officially joining the field of 2020 president ial candidates. It was the announcement many in the media had been watching for. We are happy to share yo isle running to serve you as the next president of the United States. This is a defining moment of truth for the country and for every single one of us. It launched an immediate wave of speculation. About his chances. A lot of positions that hell have to take in a president ial election. To different himself from the democratic field. He needs to think hard about for the first time. The challenge is to take the same play book and apply it across 50 states. Can you run a National Campaign that is about aspiration and inspiration. And not really about deep dive sub tans on issues. President trump wasted little timesharing his opinion about the announcement. Hes got a lot of hand movement. I have never seen so much hand movement. Is he crazy . Many people who followed beto orourke career see this as the right moment. For him and the country. We learned young people, people of color and the women are the rocket booster that power the democratic engine. Instead of fear and division. Hes offering hope and inspiration and unity. Thats what people want. What a contrast that would be. Between donald trump and beto orourke. It would be incredible. History calls for us to come together. To show ourselves, our fellow americans the generations that follow. What were made of and what we can do. The only way to get it done is get it done together. Thank you for having me out here. This is an msnbc special series. 30 years ago, i embraced hate and perpetrated violence. But when i finally wanted to leave americas white power movement, there was nobody willing to help a confused nazi skinhead like me. Another 15 seconds. Today, im the guy i needed back then. I help people break their hate, atone for their wrongs and start over again with a clean slate