Beto O’Rourke Blasts Greg Abbott in Fiery Speech at Texas Tech University
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke spoke at Texas Tech University's Frazier Alumni Pavilion at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, October 11th.
Texas Tech is just one of 15 campuses across the state that Beto O’Rourke is set to speak at before facing off against incumbent governor Greg Abbott on Election Day, November 8th.
O'Rourke, sporting a red Texas Tech University hat, started off his speech vowing to increase pay for Texas teachers, along with canceling the STAAR test. He added that the U.S. spares no expense to send military people to war, but some veterans end up homeless. His solution is to make sure every homeless veteran gets a roof over their head.
Along with housing homeless veterans he is also seeking treatments for their physical and mental health while avoiding opioid addiction. O'Rourke wants to legalize marijuana in Texas for veterans that find medicinal relief. O'Rourke proposed with legalization a plan for those who have previously been in trouble with the law by stating "I say we expunge the arrest records of those who have served time for possession of this substance.". This comes after Beto stated how hard it was for people trying to better their lives but were unable to due to being arrested for being in possession of marijuana.
The Democratic candidate wasted no time in calling out Governor Abbott.
"We are running against arguably the worst governor in the United States of America today, his name is Greg Abbott," said O'Rourke, citing Texas' abortion ban in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade ban and how it hurts women by closing reproductive health care clinics that specialize in other services, such as cervical cancer screenings.
O'Rourke gave his thoughts on Governor Abbott's lack of support for banning people under the age of 21 being able to purchase certain firearms after the Uvalde School Shooting which left 19 children and two teachers dead in May. O'Rourke recounted the ERCOT power grid failure that happened in February 2021 that affected thousands resulting in dozens of deaths.
Volunteers were present at the event to help those who were not yet registered to vote as Tuesday, October 11, is the last day to register. Early voting in Texas starts on October 24th and lasts until November 4th. Election Day for the midterms and more will be on November 8th.
Watch video of Beto O'Rourke speaking at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas below.