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Beto O’Rourke Regrets How He Announced His 2020 Running

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who has been slipping in the polls, says he regrets appearing on the cover of “Vanity Fair.” The former Texas congressman, who gained enthusiastic grassroots support when he ran for the U.S. Senate last fall, says appearing in Vanity Fair reinforced “a perception of privilege.”

Beto expressed his regrets on “The View” this week. “Would you say those are mistakes, being on the cover of Vanity Fair?” host Joy Behar asked O’Rourke. “It looks elitist? What?”

“Yeah, I think it reinforces that perception of privilege,” O’Rourke replied. “And that headline that said I was ‘born to be in this’ in the article — I was attempting to say that I felt that my calling was in public service. No one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me.”

O’Rourke’s appearance on “The View” is part of his efforts to reach more voters. O’Rourke has slipped below 10 percent support in most polls, lagging behind Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren as the top 2020 Democratic contender.

O’Rourke is also trying to shed the perception that he relies on “privilege” to get ahead, tapping an African-American woman, Stacy Abrams, as a potential running mate.

“O’Rourke’s comments come days after he floated the name of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as a possible running mate,” Politico reported. “Abrams has said she is weighing her own presidential bid and will not enter the race for the White House as a vice presidential candidate, amid buzz that she was in talks with Biden’s camp to do just that in March.”