O’Rourke brings run for president to Clear Lake

by Marianne Gasaway

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) made a stop in Clear Lake part of his July 4th holiday.  O’Rourke and his family were on hand as the Evans United Shows carnival opened Wednesday night in City Park.

O’Rourke said he enjoys sharing the campaign experience with his wife, Amy, and three children.

“They get to hear other people stand up and ask questions or tell their stories. I think it’s really powerful for them,” he said, adding that sometimes the children will recall something they learned on the campaign trail and share it in conversation.

O’Rourke said he had the same experience as a child, accompanying his father while he campaigned in El Paso, Texas.

“Part of my responsibility as a parent is to try to expose them to the kind of things that help them understand what’s happening in the world right now, and also help them to understand why we spend so much time apart, and why their dad is on the road, and why would he ever consider doing something like this in the in the first place.”

O’Rourke and his family spent about a half hour walking through the carnival in downtown Clear Lake, with his son winning a hermit crab playing the fish bowl game.