Beto O’Rourke Says He’s Unlikely to Run for U.S. Senate or Any Office in 2026

El Paso Democrat Beto O’Rourke says he’s “unlikely” to run for U.S. Senate or any office in 2026.

O’Rourke will instead focus on organizing volunteers, mobilizing voters and recruiting candidates for the midterm elections.

“It’s unlikely that I’ll be a candidate,” O’Rourke told The Dallas Morning News. “I’m just going to continue to focus on where I can be most helpful. Candidate recruitment, voter registration and this really powerful voter turnout program that we’ve been building at Powered By People is where I’m going to be able to do the most good.”

The crowd cheers as former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke finishes his remarks during the People vs. The Power Grab rally on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Fort Worth.

Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer

Background

Hopefuls for the March 3 Texas primaries can begin filing their candidacies Saturday, Nov. 8, with the deadline to get on the ballot Dec. 8.

O’Rourke, a former congressman who in 2018 lost to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by 2.6 percentage points, was considering running for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn.

Other Democrats Interested in Senate Campaigns

Four other leading Texas Democrats were interested in Senate campaigns, creating a logjam of sorts for the nomination for one statewide post.

O’Rourke, former U.S. Sen. Colin Allred of Dallas, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin met at least once to develop a statewide slate. That effort fizzled because they all preferred running for Senate. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, is also considering a Senate campaign.

Allred and Talarico mounted Senate campaigns, while Castro has yet to commit to running statewide.

O’Rourke’s Decision

With two strong candidates already in the Senate race, O’Rourke decided to focus on his work as an unpaid volunteer for Powered By People, the political action committee he formed.

“We’re going to be everywhere in Texas meeting prospective voters, people who aren’t yet on the voter rolls, the kind of people who’ve been essentially the targets of voter suppression and voter intimidation,” O’Rourke said. “We’re seeking them out. We’re going to make sure that they’re registered. And then the thing that we do that is so powerful and effective, is that we then stay in touch with those voters throughout the election cycle.”