Beto O’Rourke, the former Democratic Texas representative who garnered national attention for his fiery campaign against Republican Senator Ted Cruz, was spotted in Pueblo on Thursday.
According to social media accounts and interviews, O’Rourke’s post-2018, pre-2020 election road trip included a stop at a local Starbucks and the Pueblo Community College.
Puebloan Robbie Salazar was working at the coffee shop near the college when O’Rourke popped in.
Salazar said he asked the politician if he was, in fact, O’Rourke. After confirming his identity, he asked Salazar for his name. The barista bought O’Rourke his coffee and they took a photo.
“I was excited,” Salazar said.
O’Rourke’s tour has been shrouded in secrecy. According to CNN, . But he has not been providing advance notice to media or even party leaders.
His trip to the southern Colorado town caught local Democrats by surprise.
“He didn’t give me a call while he was here,” said Mary Corsentino, the chair of the Pueblo County Democrats. “I’d just love to meet him.”
Since losing his race against Cruz, O’Rourke has been polling among the top half-dozen contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Pueblo County, a historic union town and Democratic stronghold, narrowly voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. Many observers said his message resonated with the city’s blue collar workers, especially those who work in manufacturing and at the steel mill.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Beto O’Rourke