After being hospitalized, Texas Democratic gubernatorial contender Beto O’Rourke has canceled all next campaign appearances.
Sunday, O’Rourke revealed his hospitalization through Twitter. He said that he was transferred to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, where he was “diagnosed with a bacterial illness”
O’Rourke also confirmed that he was administered antibiotics intravenously. Medicines are injected directly into the circulation when oral antibiotics cannot reach tissues rapidly enough to treat a severe illness.
Politico reports that O’Rourke was freed from Methodist Hospital over the weekend and returned to his house in El Paso.
It remained unknown what bacterial illness Beto O’Rourke was diagnosed with, the severity of his ailment, and when or if he will be able to continue running for the remainder of the campaign.
O’Rourke’s tweet said he would be “back on the road … as soon as I’m able.”
After feeling ill on Friday, I went to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where I was diagnosed with a bacterial infection.
The extraordinary team there — from custodians to nurses and doctors — gave me excellent care and attention, including IV antibiotics and rest.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 28, 2022
O’Rourke, who is running against two-term incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott, is down in the polls at the time of his illness. According to the average of all major polls conducted by RealClearPolitics between July 9 and August 7, O’Rourke trailed Abbott by 6.8 points.
This is O’Rourke’s second statewide candidacy in four years and his third major campaign. Prior to this, O’Rourke ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018 against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, where he lost by a narrow margin – 50.9% to 48.3% – despite Texas’s historically strong Republican voting record, according the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
O’Rourke also ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, but he suspended his campaign before the Iowa caucuses owing to low polling. During the primary debates, he earned prominence for advocating the mandatory buyback of some “assault-style” rifles.
More on this story via The Western Journal:
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15 and AK-47,” he said, which was criticized by some Democrats for its direct ultimatum to gun owners. O’Rourke has since made gun control a centerpiece of his political brand.
O’Rourke was recently criticized for interrupting a press conference by Abbott, Cruz and other officials about the joint response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, which killed 19 students and two teachers. CONTINUE READING…