COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke made a last-minute campaign stop Monday afternoon on Texas A&M’s campus, engaging with students and other members of the Bryan/College Station community.
O’Rourke’s rally inside the Memorial Student Center not only focused on his usual talking points but a call to vote. O'Rourke also asked the hundreds of students in attendance to download a phone app that will inform them whether contacts on their phones have voted.
"(The app will) allow you to send a personalized message to those contacts – your mom, sister, your classmate, colleague, family, your neighbor," he said.
The Bethancourt Ballroom at the MSC was full of people excited to support O’Rourke - many of whom have already voted.
“Throughout high school, I worked for Planned Parenthood, and right now I work with Jane’s Due Process, which is a really cool organization that provides abortion care for teens," said Allison Medulan, an Aggie junior in attendance. "I just really like his platform of providing healthcare for women.”
O'Rourke spoke briefly with members of the media. He said that polls showing incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott ahead by several points don’t discourage him.
“You know, there hasn’t been a poll in the last four or six years that accurately predicted the outcome of these elections," O'Rourke said. "- And certainly not in Texas, where the current government and governor makes it so hard to vote.”
And when it comes to voter access, KRHD asked O’Rourke to comment on Brazos County’s recent removal of early voting from the A&M campus.
“I don’t think it’s an accident that as more students become involved in the political process, those in government remove their opportunity to easily and conveniently have a say in this election," O'Rourke said.
O’Rourke’s next stop on the campaign trail was reported to be Texas State University in San Marcos.
KRHD did reach out to Gov. Abbott's press email over the weekend for comment and received no response.