Beto O'Rourke on Democrats' 2024 election losses in Texas: 'Our party was not listening'

HOUSTON - Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke stopped by FOX 26's Houston Live and Local on Thursday to discuss his town hall event, the current state of the Democratic Party in Texas and what it means for the upcoming Senate race in the state.

Beto O'Rourke on Town Hall Events

What's next:

O'Rourke is holding a town hall at the Humble Civic Center on Thursday night. 

Thursday night's event begins at 6 p.m.

He has held several events across the state in recent weeks with the group Powered by People.

What they're saying:

"I think some of the people who attend the town hall are wondering like, does this really matter?" said O'Rourke. "I think that those in power want us to feel powerless and hopeless and divided and succumb to despair. So I think the very act of showing up is powerful in its own right, and it's not showing up and let me listen and see Beto, it's showing up and, holy smokes, 750 people are in this room in Amarillo, Texas. I didn't know there were other people who were concerned, who are willing to stand and be counted at this time of truth."

Beto O'Rourke on 2024 election

What they're saying:

In November 2024, the Latino vote in Texas saw a 27-point swing from Democrats to Republicans.

O'Rourke said he believed Joe Biden did a "remarkable job" on the merits of his presidency, but Democrats did a "terrible" job of communicating those successes.

"The electorate desperately wanted change in 2024, and there was one party, and specifically one candidate, who really embodied that," O'Rourke said. "If you want change and one party's offering the same solution, the same way. Even saying I can't think of a single thing I'd do differently than my predecessor, and the other is saying I'm going to blow this thing up, drain the swamp, and radically upend every convention and custom that you've grown accustomed to. You know, we saw the outcome of that."

He raised concerns that the Democratic Party did not take issues on immigration seriously.

"Our party was not listening to people in Webb County or El Paso County or Hidalgo County. They were saying, look, we're lifelong Democrats. We are proud of our generosity, the fact that we are cities of immigrants, but this thing is out of control," O'Rourke said.

The former congressman says there needs to be changes.

"[Democrats] can't just say that they're going to fight for people," O'Rourke said. "They have to deliver for people, and until we do that we're going to continue to lose these counties."

O'Rourke expressed optimism that if the Democrats fight alongside the people, then there is a chance that they will come back.

Beto O'Rourke on Ken Paxton

What they're saying:

O'Rourke called for the Democratic Party to be more inclusive moving forward.

He called Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton the "likely Republican nominee" and said the party has to make room for moderates and even conservatives to win in 2026.

"[Ken Paxton's] very exciting to the most radical extremist edge of his own party, but is he going to be able to speak to and connect with Democrats, independents, moderate Republicans? I mean, we will see. And if Democrats are going to win and come out of the wilderness, to your point, Greg, they cannot afford to be judgmental or exclusive or maintain an orthodoxy that alienates people who feel judged and talked down to. We've got to bring everybody in," O'Rourke said.

No major Democrat has publicly announced their candidacy for Texas' U.S. Senate seat in 2026.

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