What Beto O’Rourke lacks in policy chops, he seems to make up for in fundraising abilities. During the 2018 midterms he amassed a war chest of $80 million dollars. After officially launching his 2020 presidential bid, he raked in over $6 million in 24 hours.
Now Beto has attracted some of Obama’s top funders and a former Obama aide.
Brian Schwartz reports at CNBC:
Major Obama fundraiser Mark Gallogly looks likely to support Beto O’Rourke in 2020 run for presidentA leading Democratic bundler who helped former President Barack Obama raise money during his two presidential campaigns has been indicating to friends that he’s likely to support Beto O’Rourke in the 2020 race, CNBC has learned.Mark Gallogly, the co-founder of investment firm Centerbridge Partners, has signaled to associates that he’s likely going to help O’Rourke, a former three-term congressman, in the presidential fundraising battle, according to people who have spoken with him in recent weeks.Gallogly became fond of O’Rourke during his midterm contest with Sen. Ted Cruz in the deep-red state of Texas. The donor backed O’Rourke in 2018 and wrote two checks each worth $2,700, one for the primary and the other for the general election, Federal Election Commission filings show.
Gallogly is not the only major Obama donor throwing his support to Beto.
Andrew Stiles reports at the Washington Free Beacon:
Gallogly is joined by Louis Susman, an investment manager and former banking executive who raised enough money for Obama in 2008 (at least $500,000) to be named his ambassador to the United Kingdom. Before O’Rourke even announced his candidacy, Susman, who is married to Goldman Sachs scion Marjorie Sachs, was reportedly reaching out to other wealthy Democratic donors to gauge their interest in the candidate. Susman was also a max donor to O’Rourke’s failed Senate bid.
In recent months, there have been rumblings about Beto being the “white Obama.” People who like Obama have seemed to confirm this through their actions. Beto is even hiring a former Obama aide to run his campaign.
Jeff Zeleny and Eric Bradner report at CNN:
Beto O’Rourke set to hire ex-Obama aide Jen O’Malley Dillon to run campaignA week after launching his presidential bid, Beto O’Rourke is poised to hire veteran Democratic strategist Jen O’Malley Dillon to lead his campaign, officials familiar with the discussions told CNN, a move that puts a former top aide to President Barack Obama at the helm of the O’Rourke campaign.O’Malley Dillon, a deputy campaign manager for Obama’s re-election effort in 2012, met with O’Rourke earlier this month in Texas before he jumped into the race. Since then, the campaign raised more than $6 million on its first day and the former congressman from Texas embarked on a tour of a half-dozen states.
Beto may not have beaten Cruz in 2018, but he got close enough for many Democrats to take notice. It’s no secret that Democrats have long dreamed of flipping Texas blue. That is surely driving some of this support to Beto.
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