One of former President Barack Obama's largest fundraisers has thrown his support behind El Paso Congressman Beto O'Rourke for the 2020 presidential election. The move signals that O'Rourke, who raised a record-breaking $80 million in his failed senatorial bid without accepting money from corporations or political action committees, will have the financial support needed to run an expensive, nationwide campaign.
Louis Susman, a Chicago financier, told CNN Friday that he had decided to support O'Rourke and was actively encouraging him to run against President Donald Trump.
Susman has a long history of backing successful Democratic nominees. He worked as the finance chairman for John Kerry in 2004. Obama was so well-served by Susman in 2008 that he appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
"It's time to pass the torch to a new generation," Susman said on CNN. "I have nothing against the Bidens and Kerrys of the world and all of these senators that are looking at it, but I think the Beto example is what inspired people and what we are going to need."
Susman's decision comes days after a report that Obama met privately with O'Rourke in his Washington D.C. post-presidential offices last month. Just days after the meeting, Obama publicly commented that O'Rourke was a "very impressive young man" who reminded him of himself.
O'Rourke said he was honored by the comparison, which he called "cool."
Two weeks after the meeting, former Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer wrote, "I have never seen a Senate candidate—including Obama in 2004—inspire the sort of enthusiasm that Beto did in his race."
It appears those who orbit the Obama universe have picked their candidate, said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist, to Newsweek. A number of former Obama staffers are pushing O'Rourke to run and are ready to go work for him if and when he does decide to gun for the presidential nomination, he said.
At a town hall meeting last month, O'Rourke said he is considering a run and plans to consult with his family and decide over the upcoming holidays.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Tuesday found O'Rourke currently ranks third among possible Democratic presidential candidates, just behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Newsweek that O'Rourke is in a good position to support Joe Biden as vice president, and said that may have been the topic of his meeting with Obama. "Obama could have the biggest sway in helping him become vice president," he said. "O'Rourke is much more likely to be in the parlor game for vice president."
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Nicole Goodkind is a political reporter with a focus on Congress. She previously worked as a reporter for Yahoo Finance, ... Read more
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