With presidential elections still a year and eight months away, former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke last week became the 15th Democrat to throw his hat into the ring. Judging by the reaction from the mainstream press, it was a launch others could only dream about. O’Rourke hopes to bill himself as not just another pretty face, but rather as a political heavyweight with a better than average chance of winning.

O’Rourke served for three two-year terms in the US House of Representatives, and before that as an El Paso city councilman. Last November, he failed in his attempt to dislodge incumbent US Senator Ted Cruz in Texas; although O’Rourke trailed throughout the campaign, he gave Cruz a run for his money, losing only by a count of 51% to 48%. Since then he’s been out of office, focusing on high-profile cross-country road trips. Just last month he organized a hometown political rally in El Paso, across from a gathering organized by the president, who came to talk about the need to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

During the Senate race, O’Rourke broke fundraising records and attracted nationwide attention, driving himself to all 254 election districts in Texas as he posted his journey live on Facebook, occasionally stopping at fast food joints along the way. O’Rourke’s style makes him popular among young progressive voters (he’s been known to ride a skateboard at campaign stops), and media commentators compare him to former president Barack Obama.

His political stance: He opposes building a wall along the border with Mexico, supports anchoring the status of dreamers, and supports increasing gun control measures and the legalization of marijuana.

Many Jewish voters remember that in 2014, during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, O’Rourke was one of only eight congressmen who opposed transferring another $225 million to Israel to fund the Iron Dome antimissile system. When the proposal passed with a 395-vote majority, O’Rourke explained that he hadn’t opposed the actual funding but rather that there had been no debate about the spending. During later votes, he supported Iron Dome. A year later, O’Rourke came to Israel as part of a J Street mission, which visited Palestinian villages as well as Jerusalem and Yad Vashem.

An event that casts a shadow over O’Rourke’s campaign is a car crash from 1998, when he collided into another vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol, and, according to the police report, tried to drive away from the scene. O’Rourke admits to the drunk driving charge, but says he never tried to run away.

O’Rourke joins a crowded playing field that includes five incumbent senators, most with greater seniority and experience. It’s too early to guess who will win the primaries, but I’d bet on O’Rourke being one of the finalists.

President Trump’s response to Beto O’Rourke’s announcement that he’s running for president: “I think he’s got a lot of hand movement, I’ve never seen so much hand movement. I said, ‘Is he crazy or is that just the way he acts?’ I’ve actually never seen anything quite like it. Study it, I’m sure you’ll agree.”

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 753)