Beto O'Rourke officially announces run for president

Beto O'Rourke announced his candidacy for president on Thursday morning, ending months of speculation that began after the Democrat narrowly lost a Senate seat in reliably red Texas.

O'Rourke, 46, who was a little known congressman from El Paso when President Donald Trump was elected, joins the crowded race for the Democratic presidential nomination, which already has more than a dozen other announced candidates.

O'Rourke,in an exclusive interview with the El Paso Times before his official announcement, made the case for his presidential campaign — one born from Trump's intense focus on the border as a dangerous place in urgent need of a wall.

“I want to be president because I feel that we can bring this country together. We can unify around our ambitions, our aspirations, the big things that we know we are capable of when all of us have the opportunity to contribute,” O’Rourke said.

“I just want to serve this country so badly to the highest of my ability, and I believe that is serving as president of the United States,” O’Rourke said as his wife, Amy, sat next to him in their 114-year-old home, where more than a century ago Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa met U.S. Army Gen. Hugh Scott to discuss stopping Mexico's civil war along the border.

O’Rourke said he believes the country is ready for a better, more nuanced view of the border than the picture painted by Trump, whose “Build The Wall” slogan helped propel him to the presidency.

In the crowded race for the Democratic presidential nomination, O'Rourke points to his upbringing on the border as a key asset in challenging Trump.

“A firsthand perspective and experience from the border is missing from the conversation,” said O'Rourke, who often sits at the table on his front porch that has views of Juárez, Mexico, to write, make phone calls and do other work.