Running with Beto (2019) - full transcript

Beto O'Rourke:
All right, people, let's go.

Boy:
No. You messed me up.

Beto:
All right.

All right, now I'm getting
behind the wheel,

-so watch out.
-(kids chatter)

Let me see if I can make
this sucker work.

-(Henry O'Rourke speaking)
-Amy O'Rourke: Shh!

Sucker just
means this thing.

-Is that not
a right word to use?
-That's not a good word to use.

-Okay, sorry.
-Molly O'Rourke:
Daddy, are we there yet?

-Beto: You're on?
-Chris Evans: We're on, yeah.



-Yeah.
-All right.

So, as you can see,

this is what it costs

to put gas in the tank.

So, contribute 10 bucks,

and we will use it
to get to your town.

Beto:
Luisa chipped in.
Thank you very much.

We are in Killeen, Texas.

We just finished
a veterans' town hall.

I'm gonna get a haircut here.

Oh, you know what? The camera's
all messed up on this thing.

-Why?
-I don't know.

We're like in a dream.

Henry:
Daddy...



Ted Cruz:
Liberal Democrats,

-don't mess with Texas.
-(audience cheering)

Newsman:
When it comes to politics,
Texas is one of the reddest,

most conservative Republican
states in this country.

-(gunshots)
-Robert Siegel:
Republicans have won

100 statewide
elections in a row.

Newsman:
Democrats stay home.

Why vote if the outcome
is predetermined?

Mark Jones:
Democrats don't try
to compete statewide,

and they aren't really
a statewide party.

Somebody asked me, "How do you
think you're gonna do in Texas?"

I think we're gonna very
well in Texas, right?

-(cheering)
-Do very well.

Ari Shapiro:
El Paso representative
Beto O'Rourke

thinks he can beat the odds.

(knocking)

Newswoman:
O'Rourke is an unapologetic
progressive.

He's taking positions
most Texas Democrats

avoid like the plague.

Wade Goodwyn:
Universal healthcare,
assault weapons ban,

abortion rights,
raise the minimum wage.

Democrats, we have
played it too safe
in this state.

We have been
too middle-of-the-road.

(crowd applauds)

Cruz:
We're living
in remarkable times.

The hard left is angry.

They're energized.
They hate the president,

and they're coming for Texas.

(crowd booing)

Now, here's the good news.

There are a lot
more conservatives

than liberals
in the state of Texas.

(cheering)

♪ ♪

Beto:
Holly. How are you?
Good to see you.

-Amy: Got everybody.
-Beto: All right.

Thank you.

Beto:
It's official today.

Now you will be
able to vote for us.

-Okay. Good, yeah.
-Officially.

-Good.
-Yeah.

-You guys ready?
-Henry: Yeah.

Okay, cool.
It's gonna be fun.

We are going to officially

be on the ballot to represent
the great state of Texas

-in the United States Senate.
-(cheering)

And it is this support
that we have received

represented in 15,000
petition signatures

that are somewhere in this room.

-(laughter)
-(cheering)

Beto:
Right here.

So...

Rosa, should
we make this official?

-Right here.
-Okay.

You ready guys?
Last chance.

-(laughter)
-You sure you want to do it?

Okay.

All right.

(cheering)

Come on, you guys.
Big hug.

Big hug.

Big hug.
All right?

-Get in here.
-(laughing)

(cheering)

Beto:
Come on up.
Guys, come on up.

Beto: Amy and I,
we were watching
the returns for president,

trying to figure out
what's going on.

Somebody just won
an election by defining us

as being scared
and small and afraid.

And so, we just, you know,
"What are we going to do?"

And out of that conversation

came this idea of
"What if we ran for Senate?"

Nobody asked us
to do this, so...

yeah, I just got to keep
that in mind.

That's how we started
and that's how we have
to continue it, so...

Man:
Which part in mind?

Just that we're running with,

you know, got to run like
there's nothing to lose.

Yeah.

Beto:
In this highly polarized,

divided, tribal
time in our country,

all of us have to be willing
to work together.

Before we're Republicans or
Democrats, we are human beings.

So, thank you for being part
of something really exciting

that's taking place
in Texas right now.

I think we,
the people of Texas,

are gonna be the big, bold,
confident, strong answer

to the small, mean,
petty politics of our age.

(applause)

(indistinct chatter)

David Wysong:

I really don't.

Uh-uh. We don't poll.

He just thinks that
politics becomes gross

when you overdo that stuff

or do any of that stuff, like...

you just lose the courage of
your convictions type stuff.

I think what we're selling
with him is just genuineness.

-Here you go.
-Thank you very much.

Wysong:
Ted Cruz has massive name ID,

where Beto is largely unknown,
so, what we're betting on

is that enough people
are gonna meet him,

which seems insane,
given 28 million people,

but enough people are gonna
feel like they know him,

um, and have that
personal connection,

and that's what
we're counting on.

♪ ♪

Newsman (over radio):
Beto O'Rourke's
unconventional campaign

-kicks into
high gear today.
-Woo.

Newsman: He's doing
something no candidate has
for decades:

visiting all 254 counties
in our Lone Star State.

Beto:
Chris, thank you
for organizing this.

My name is Beto O'Rourke,
born and raised in El Paso,
Texas,

here to represent
the state of Texas

in the United States Senate.

I'm traveling
to all 254 counties

to meet everybody that I can.

Yes, sir.

-Beto: Yeah.
-(laughter)

If you all wanna pitch
in for the cowboy boots,

there's a jar going around,
um...

And I would be
incredibly grateful

for your consideration
of an endorsement.

♪ ♪

Evans:
So, you've hit 16 town halls.
I will buy you a donut

-if you can name all 16.
-Okay. Are you ready?

-I'm ready. I'm
fact-checking you, so...
-Okay.

Beto:
Rockwall, Greenville,

Sulphur Springs,
Emory, Mineola...

Beto:
And universal background checks

for everyone who wants
to purchase a firearm.

...Tyler, Canton,

Terrell, Waxahachie...

Legalizing both the dreamers
and their parents.

-Okay, hang with me.
-Evans: I'm in this car,

so I can't go anywhere.

-Ah. Cleburne.
-Evans: Yes.

Beto:
Mahaya, Bryan...

Universal guaranteed
high-quality healthcare

-for every American.
-(cheering)

-...San Benito...
-Evans: Yes.

-Bring it home, number 16.
-Weslaco.

-Weslaco.
-All right.

-You got all 16.
I owe you a donut.
-Beto: That was good, man.

Beto: All right. Could
I get six donuts?

♪ ♪

-Beto: Here.
I'll give you a card.
-(dog barking)

I'm running for US Senate.

♪ ♪

-I wanna tell you
something, brother.
-Yes, sir.

(Beto speaking)

-Okay. Tell it.
-There's always advice.

-(laughter)
-I can't fucking pay attention
to what you're saying

'cause your hands are
fucking moving so...

I'm here to challenge you on
your assault weapons ban stance.

Um, an AR-15 is designed
for use by the military.

It's my right.

(sighs)

-(applause)
-Hey, how are y'all?

Good to see you.

Announcer:
We are so proud
to welcome Beto O'Rourke

-to his 254th county in Texas.
-(cheering)

Thank you, everybody!
Very good to see everyone.

Thank you! Thank you
for being here right now!

(radio static crackling)

Newsman (on radio):
So, Beto's now visited
all 254 counties,

do you think we're gonna
see a race this fall?

Woman (radio):
So, Democrats like to think
they've got a chance,

but Beto's gonna lose.

It's just the same song
and different dance.

(basketball bouncing)

(dog barking)

What's happening?

All right,
let's do one-on-one.

I'll have
a cup of coffee

and one hand, okay?

See if you can beat me.

Ulysses:
I'm Ulysses O'Rourke,
and I'm 11 years old.

My brother is Henry,
and my sister is Molly.

My mom is Amy,
and my dad is Beto.

-Please, can I play?
-Yeah. You're on Ulysses's team.

First, he ran for Congress,
and then he ran for this.

It kind of feels the same,

except this is
like way bigger.

What's the team?

-Beto: Uh,
it's me and you.
-Oh.

Ulysses:
Sometimes I ask him,
why are you doing this?

And he says 'cause
maybe if he ran for Senate

and he won, then other people
would realize, "Oh yeah.

If he can do it,
then we can do it."

Henry: Oh, let's make
hot chocolate.

-Molly: Yeah!
-Beto: Hey guys, focus.

-Okay, Dad.
-Beto: Baking powder.

How long does that take?

Amy:
When Beto had told me
he wanted to run

for Congress the first time,

I was pregnant with Henry.

And I can remember we were
sitting in a car together,

and I was just crying
and crying,

'cause I couldn't understand why

he would...

almost like sacrifice our family

to run for that level of office.

'Cause everything that
I knew about life on the Hill

was just kind of
dirty and slimy

and people changed
once they got there.

-Daddy, can I shape them?
-Yep.

Amy: Two years later,
we talked about it again,

and we decided
that he should run.

We figured how to maintain
a strong family life.

And then when Trump won,

we're like, okay,
what can we do as a couple

to try to change this
dialogue at a national level?

Um, and when you have
an opponent like Cruz,

that just seemed like
a very easy answer.

Man:
Texas progressives see
a glimmer of hope here,

as long-shot victories
around the country suggest

a blue wave could sweep
across red states this fall.

Wolf Blitzer:
Doug Jones is the winner.

Cory Smith:
O'Rourke says
the blue wave is real.

This is totally possible,

and it's 100% on all of us.

Eric Bradner:
Republicans aren't nervous.

Cruz:
Congressman O'Rourke is
running hard to the left.

He's embracing positions like
open borders, gun control.

Those are not
the values of Texas.

So, you're subscribing
to the idea of a blue wave

-that is hitting a red wall.
-(Cruz laughs)

Cruz:
Listen, if you're
gonna run in Texas,

you can't run as a liberal man.

♪ ♪

Shannon Gay:
Daisy!

(dog barking)

Go get her. Go get her, Rex.

Good girl! Thank you!

Oh, I love you the most-est!

When I was at the Humane
Society in Bulverde, I was
on the board of directors.

We were so desperate for money,
we did a topless calendar.

(scoffs) I'm Ms. September.

(barking)

(laughing): It was fun.

One of the reasons why
Beto means a lot to me

is his passion for veterans.

Catching these guys
before they punch out,

not after,

could've probably
saved my marriage.

Um... my kid
would've had a father.

In order to keep this
from happening again,

that's one of the reasons
I want Beto in there so bad.

This is an exciting day.

We are gonna go into the dark
heart of Trump-ghanistan.

We're gonna go into our one
stoplight town in Bulverde,

and we're gonna
plunk down a Kling

and a Beto
and a Crowe sign.

And, uh,

just rattle some nerves,
'cause the blue wave is coming.

I went up to Beto,
and I told him,

I said, here's the deal, man.

You better bring
brains, backbone,

and balls to the table,
or go home.

And I told him. I said, I'm
gonna be up your ass so much,

I'll be able to tell you
what you had for lunch.

He said, that's as it should be.

I want so desperately
to hear him tell Ted Cruz,

you pack your shit
and get the fuck outta Dodge

'cause there's
a new kid in town,

and his name is Beto.

I told Javier Salinas,

who is Ted Cruz's
field director, I told him

that I would ask Ted Cruz,
"Are you circumcised?"

And his fa-- He was shocked.
And I said, "You shocked?"

"Yeah."
"Good. Good,
you should be."

He thinks he has the right

to know what we've got
going on in our pants,

and make decisions about
what we do with our lives,

but we can't know what's
going on in his pants?

No. Honestly, what is
it about these arrogant

fuckwits that think they
can make these decisions?

♪ ♪

(sighs)
Too much red. Eck!

I'm guilty of having
been asleep at the wheel.

I had no idea about
the goings-on in this country,

and how much power
we relinquished,

and how much of a fight

we have to go through
to get it back.

And, ultimately,
it's gonna be worth it.

(birds chirping)

Beto:
Guys, check this.
This is biblical.

I've never seen
this many birds.

It's amazing.

If this doesn't work out,
I'm gonna do long-haul trucking.

Beto:
I'm going in.

You may be concerned

that most of my colleagues
answer to the special interests,

and that's why we're running
this campaign the right way:

not a dime of political
action committee,

no corporate help,

no special interest
contributions,

and we are out-raising
the junior sitting US senator

by hundreds of
thousands of dollars,

-doing it $25 at a time.
-(applause, cheers)

Maxine Galinsky:
Oh, we've got money for Beto.

We've got a bag of
money to present him

before he leaves here tonight.

The average donation
is about $20,

so there's a lot
of money in this bag.

I don't know how
much money...

Beto:
One of the surprises
upon getting to DC

as a member of Congress is

that there's so much fucking
money that runs...

Washington, DC,
that runs Congress,

uh, and it's the way that our
democracy, unfortunately,

works or doesn't work.

I had not been taking
any PAC money for years now.

That there was an expectation
on the part

of the donor,
so I just unilaterally

withdrew from the PAC arms race.

♪ ♪

Salas:
I was a unique case.

When I was 17,
as soon as I could,

I showed up at
the elections department

to register myself to vote.

Nobody else is like me.

So, what I do is I...

register voters
and take that data,

and put it into the voter
activation network.

I did not realize
how vital data was

to winning elections until
I started working elections.

I thought it was like
all about enthusiasm

and like voting,
and that's great.

But if you don't have data,
you don't have anything.

Right now, I've got
481 registered voters,

but by the end of the month,

I'm hoping that we'll be
able to bump that to 750.

We can do 106.

(speaking Spanish)

Salas:
Here in the valley,
there's a lot of people

that just aren't
engaged with politics.

We have been marginalized
and oppressed for centuries,

and so there's a reason
why the people down here

say that their vote
doesn't matter.

Veronica Escobar:
We gotta change the
direction of our country.

Thank you, bye!

Wow, okay, so I heard,

as I was eavesdropping,

-that you were a Republican?
-Yes! I used to be one!

(exclaiming in Spanish)

Yeah! Yeah, hardcore.
I got scholarship money

-from them and everything.
-Holy cow! What happened?

Well, I was
in the closet,
so that was part of it.

-And I grew up in
a really religious home.
-Yeah.

We were Southern Baptist,
so we were super conservative,

so I mean, the Republicanism
was beat into me.

-Wow.
-Yeah. And it
wasn't until Bernie.

Bernie is who
I switched parties for.

It was a big deal. I did
not wanna switch parties

'cause I was so tied
to that Republican--

-Identity?
-Yeah.

And so...

are your family members
active Republicans?

Yeah, my step-dad is a very
big Trump supporter. He--

Yeah!

He's just Fox News.

I mean, I get it.
I used to watch
the Fox News all the time.

I used to be like
that all the time. Um...

Oh, a Beto sign!

Oh, hey!

(knocking)

Evans (speaking quietly):
We are in Houston.

And we are about
four minutes away

from starting Beto's
24-hour livestream,

where he's gonna
be live on Facebook

for 24 hours straight.

This is either
my best idea ever,

or my last idea ever, so...

All right, so I'm just gonna hit
go and we're gonna be live.

Yeah so,
it's starting live video.

It'll be the first 24-hour
Facebook livestream

of any Senate campaign ever.

♪ ♪

(knocking)

Hey, good morning.

-Evans: Ready to go?
-Ready to go.

-How you doing?
-Doing great.

We're in an elevator
right now,

-and we're gonna go out--
-Go hit it.

A bunch of great people
for a morning run.

Man:
Yeah, Beto!

Evans:
Yeah, would you do it again?

-Uh... yes.
-There was some
hesitation there.

(laughter)

-Are you naked?
-Amy: No.

Okay. Can we come in?

Hey, morning.

Mm.

Evans:
Beto, just a quick one here.

-Do you support the wall?
-No.

Whoa.

-Amy: What is that thing?
-Woman: Airbrushing.

-(airbrush humming)
-It's real quick and easy.

Evans:
Oh!

Democrats should not
shut the government down.

-Yeah, I think he did
a really good job.
-Yeah.

♪ ♪

That way?

(indistinct chatter)

(cheering, applause)

This is so cool!

This is the way
we should be doing democracy.

Complete strangers who are here

at 2:00 a.m.
nine and a half months away

from an election because it
matters that much to you.

(Evans speaking)

You're like, well,
it could turn out like this.

Let's hope it does, and it did,

which is
just insane to me.

-Beto: How you feeling?
-Evans: Me?

-Beto: Yeah.
-I'm feeling great.

-Yeah?
-Feeling great.

-I'm gonna head to bed.
-Yeah.

Beto:
I'm really confident

about our state's ability

to lead on this issue.

We understand our ability
to welcome asylum seekers

at their most desperate moment.

-Beto: I think we're gonna
get started here.
-Woman: Okay.

-Thank you very much.
-(cheering)

You sure? Okay.

So, the chairman
of the Midland County,

David Rosen is the chair
of the Midland Democrats?

Yes or no?

I wanna make sure we don't keep
having the same conversations

about the same issues,
and it's stressful to me,

and if you don't--
you know, if you can help me.

(Cano speaks)

I just don't wanna
come in half-assed

on stuff.
I don't wanna...

We had time to do press
or should have known

that David Rosen
was gonna be here.

Should've known
Joanna Wells's information,

-or known to recognize her.
Should've...
-Okay.

I just-- I'd love
to just be focused

on what you want me to do
here instead of other stuff.

-(whistles, cheers)
-Woman: Without
any further ado,

here's our leader, Beto!

(cheering)

Beto:
How's everybody doing?

Good to see you all.

Breaking news:
a school shooting with reports

of multiple fatalities,
this time in Santa Fe, Texas.

Ten people,

eight students and two
teachers, were killed.

Pete Williams:
As they were leaving
their classrooms,

that's when the shots
began to rang out.

When I think about those
heroic public school teachers,

who are in classrooms like
my son Henry's classroom,

helping them to prepare

for the possibility that
someone will come in

with a weapon of war,

and that teacher, who already
has the struggle and challenge

of teaching them how to read,
or how to add up numbers...

(voice breaks): ...now has
the challenge of keeping
them alive,

and I think who are we
that we can't be there for her

and those kids
in that classroom?

♪ ♪

This isn't some
distant reality

that we're all
becoming crazy about.

The truth is kids are
scared to go to school.

Maybe you won't be
in a school.

Maybe you'll be in a church,
like I was.

In 2016, a gunman went on
a shooting rampage with an AR-15

right in front of my church
while I was teaching

Sunday school with
many, many toddlers.

And that's when I realized
that this can happen anywhere.

This fight will be long.

It's proven difficult already.

But commit.
Commit to never giving up.

(cheers)

Show me what
democracy looks like!

This is what
democracy looks like!

Show me what
democracy looks like!

This is what
democracy looks like!

Show me what
democracy looks like!

This is what
democracy looks like!

We were shouting so loud,

and that sounds so childish,

but it was so incredible, like,
the echoes in the halls
of the capital?

I don't know, just amazing.

-After the march at Houston...
-Yeah.

...Ted Cruz said I'm open
to meeting with these students.

And so we tried to set up
meetings with him,

-and then never got a call back.
-Uh-uh!

McClinton:
We're going to meet with Beto.

-I certainly think
I'll like him.
-Yeah.

-I heard he's likable...
-Yes.

...but I also wanna make
a distinction between, like,

you're here because you care
and not here because

you're campaigning
and you have to care.

-Yeah.
-Depending on
the vibe that I get,

I'll make
my decision then. Yeah.

♪ ♪

(seagulls screeching)

McClinton:
So yeah, just off the top,
do y'all disagree

or any comments on the license
and registration of firearms?

At 16, you have
to take your
driver's test.

Why don't you
have to take
a gun test?

-Exactly.
-Like at 18 or 21.

Bree Butler:
Okay, but 2.7 is only
for military-style weapons.

I don't think anybody needs
an M-16 style weapon.

-McClinton: Right.
-I don't know what
the hell you're thinking.

Okay, so add that we want
to include all weapons in that.

Hart:
Tomorrow is
officially one month,

and it feels
like it's been

-30 damn years.
-Yeah.

And, um...

I picked up her...
her death certificate
the other day.

(voice breaking):
Her death certificate said
multiple gunshot wounds.

She was 14.

I was gonna teach
her how to drive.

She never
got to kiss anybody.

It's just stupid.

Kelly:
Yeah, I know. I didn't
know if you wanted to be
touched, but...

-McClinton: We love.
-I love you guys, too.

You guys are
my new surrogate teenagers.

-Can we be?
-Anything you like.

(indistinct chattering)

-McClinton: Hello.
-Hey!

-How are you all doing?
Good to see you.
-Hello!

-(excited chattering)
-Hey, how are you?

-McClinton:
How you doing? Marcel.
-Marcel? Nice to meet you.

Appreciate it,
yeah.

Something you said that was
really interesting to me.

You were having
this conversation
with this NRA member.

What's the common ground that
you find with this NRA member?

-Is it universal
background checks--
-Butler: Yes.

(Butler speaking)

(Beto speaks)

-(laughter)
-No, we didn't wanna--

I mean, I think
he kind of agrees.

McClinton:
And our problem is
with NRA leadership

-and not NRA members.
-Beto: Right.

McClinton:
I think it's important
to remember that

school shooting affected
like y'all's community,

but that's not the only place
where gun violence is seen.

And so, legislation
that doesn't only
benefit school safety,

but also the inner-cities,
suicide rates.

You all have become
the conscience

of so many of us.

And if you'll
continue to guide me,

I will continue to work with
you, in whatever capacity.

As a member of Congress,

as a candidate, as a senator,
as a private citizen.

Um, I'm with you.

Very impressive.
Keep me in the loop,
not just on this,

but whatever you're
gonna do next.

-Bye-bye!
-Bye!

McClinton:
We were talking on the way here

-whether or not--
-Kelly: He was talking
about vibes a lot.

McClinton:
So, I get a vibe whenever
I meet with someone,

and just so you know,
I got a good vibe.

Beto:
Aw, thanks, man.
That means a lot.

♪ ♪

Henry:
Houston! Austin!

Molly:
Fort Stockton!

Amarillo!

I've been in all
the cities of Texas!

-Molly: No, you haven't.
-Shut up.

Will you stop,
please?

Amy:
So, you walk down the street,

and you knock on the doors,

and then you have
a conversation about

what things are
important to them.

(Molly speaks)

Ulysses:
No, you can say,

this state is not
a blue state or a red state.

-Molly:
It's a purple state.
-It's a Beto state.

(cheers, applause)

We are gonna go knock on
the doors of your neighbors.

This is how we're
gonna save our country...

-Yeah.
-...and win this election.

Do you think we can count on
your support in this election?

Beto:
If you have questions,
we're on the back there

with more information
on the issues.

Amy:
Hey, out of the street!

Careful of speed bumps!

-(knocking)
-(small dog barking)

-That's not true.
-Well, not exactly 50,

but some people
are gonna say no.

Just have
to accept it.

Right, and you can't
let it stop you

from finding the people
who are gonna say yes.

Man:
Go, Beto! Go, Beto!

-Bye, guys!
-Beto: We'll see you. Bye-bye.

♪ ♪

Newsman:
As their November
showdown creeps closer,

O'Rourke raising $10.4 million
over the last three months.

Leslie Draffin:
It is the second straight
quarter he's outraised Cruz.

In many ways, it's
the media that is in love.

The most frequent adjective
that gets used for him is
"Kennedyesque."

Usually with the wind
blowing in his hair,
but that's okay.

Newswoman:
The charismatic candidate
has been charming voters

with his cool DIY style.

Newswoman 2:
And his background
as a punk rock musician

is bringing young voters
out to his events in droves.

Cruz:
We are seeing
tens of millions of dollars

flooding into
the state of Texas.

They want us to be
just like California.

(audience booing)

Right down to tofu and silicon

and dyed hair.

(audience booing)

Beto:
Hey, there.

(woman speaking)

Hang with me for a second

'cause it's all
gonna come together.

Growing up in
El Paso in the 1980s,

listening to what
was on the radio,

I just could not connect.

And it wasn't till
a friend of mine

from El Paso High took me
to my first punk rock show,

and it got me,
and I wanted to do that.

And I tried to learn
to play guitar,
and we wrote our own songs,

and we put our own records,
and we started our own label.

We booked our own tours
and we traveled the country,

stripping rock and roll
back down to its roots,

taking it away
from the corporations.
Absolutely magical.

And I feel like the Democratic
party, up in Washington, DC,
is corporate politics.

They're listening
to the corporations
and the special interests.

And I feel like we, the people,
have to take that back.

Democrats used to stand up
for the farmer and the rancher,

and the little gal
and the little guy,

-against the big corporations.
-(whistling, cheering)

♪ ♪

Evans:
Cynthia.

Joining us now
with a key race alert.

So, bottom line here,
is Ted Cruz in trouble?
What's going on?

David Chalian:
We're moving the Texas
race from a safe,

or solid Republican state,

to a lightly
Republican state.

So, it just downgrades
it one category,

downgrades it if
you're a Republican.

Evans:
Oh yeah. He's now over
here with all these.

Cano:
Oh yeah.

Congressman Beto O'Rourke is
on a fundraising fire.

-He's on fundraising fire.
-Fundraising fire?

Cano:
That's like a big deal.
They just downgraded.

-They downgraded Ted Cruz.
Like, Ted Cruz!
-And you know what?

It's huge.
As of the beginning,

everybody was saying not--
completely not doable.

-Evans: It cannot--
Like laughable.
-Yeah!

-Yep.
-And now?

I love it. I love it.

What's happening?

Protesters:
Hey, hey! Ho, ho!
Ted Cruz has got to do!

Hey, folks!
We're gonna do pictures.
We're gonna start on that end.

Have your phones ready,
and we'll do pictures.

-Sounds good?
-(cheering)

Here we go.
Here we go! Ready?

We're gonna keep
moving down the line.

Oh, you guys are great!

Everybody's doing great!
Doing great!

Here we go.
I like it. I like it.

Ready over here? Yes!

It's like,
this bag is so heavy to carry.

It's like 50 pounds.

These are the donation forms.

And then I have sign-in sheets.
I have thank-you notes.

Get them all ready
for the next trip.

It's funny 'cause my kids--
I don't know if they really know
what I do.

I don't know if they really
have a good understanding of it.

They'll start calling me
when we've run out of food.

And "Mom, you need to get more
food. Mom, we're running out."

Kind of have to do a download
after I come back,

and so I have to make
sure all the money

that we received checks,
kind of count that,

put it in order, and then
all the note cards and cards

or just all the follow-up.

This is my...
attempt to be organized.

I'm just putting it all
so I don't lose it.

(phone ringing)

-Hey, Beto.
-Beto: Hey, there.

Cano:
Yeah. No worries. No worries.

♪ ♪

Gay:
Okay.

Give me another... (mutters)

This is reasonably durable
tape. I mean, it's a duct tape.

It just has glow-in-the-dark
stuff on it.

Tada!

(cackles)

Glow, Beto. Glow, Beto.

It's one of those
very satisfying things

that I came up with an idea,

literally pulled it
out of my ass,

um... and then I see it done.

I'm hoping to have a party
close to election day.

These are gifts for my homies.

Wine bottle stoppers.

Handblown blue waves.

I actually have
my blue wave ring on.

They're also gonna
get one of those.

And then I have some
bottles of wine.

So, win, lose, or draw,

we can either celebrate or

drink ourselves to death.

(basketball bouncing)

-Amy: You put a fork
in his back at one point?
-Charlotte: Yeah, I did.

(laughter)

And then I felt bad about it,

'cause I did love him,
but I hated him.

Charlotte:
That's a-- love that
picture of Beto and my mom.

He loved to torture
me in the pool.

People have asked me why I think
Beto got really into politics.

They ask me is this
how Beto always has been?

-I'm-- No, he wasn't.
He was quiet.
-Yeah.

He was in his room.
He was listening to music.

Beto found music early on.

What I remember most
is going to see him
once or twice at that bar.

And I'm like,
how can you be playing
and jumping so high?

(imitates guitar)

-Beto with long hair.
-Amy: Yep.

-Charlotte: In a ponytail.
-Amy: Mm-hmm.

Amy:
Did your parents like that?

Charlotte:
I imagine that my mom
wasn't a big fan of it.

Beto and I always talked
about that we were

kind of brought up
to always look...
just right, you know?

And Beto always just
wanted to be Beto,

and not the kid that
my mom wanted him to be.

The "picture perfect" kid.

Oh, my dad got this Volvo.

Amy:
I always just think about
what would he be thinking
if he were here.

I mean, he would be
just over the moon.

Amy:
I think my dad was
tough with Beto.

Strict and that yelling.

Right before my dad died,

he and my dad had
really started to, um,
rebuild this relationship,

and Beto, I think,
was just so happy.

Bill Moyers:
Judge Pat O'Rourke is the chief
executive of El Paso County.

He became so
frustrated this year

at the lack of money to pay
for the healthcare of the poor,

that he sent the federal
government a bill

for $7 million
in hospital costs.

Pat:
If I were living over
there and my child

needed help from dehydration
or from any disease,

and I saw that
hospital down there
that could provide that help,

I would take my child
and I would walk across

that six-inch river
and I'd save my child's life.

I'd do the same thing
those people are doing.

Nicole Wallace:
Nearly 200
minors a day

are joining the thousands
detained

after crossing the border
into the United States.

How do you justify
this policy?

It's zero-tolerance. I don't
think you have to justify it.

It's a crime to come
across illegally,

and children get separated.

And so what do we do
in the face of this?

We need new laws
that reflect our priorities

and our values, and it is on us
to meet that challenge.

And so, I'm going to the border
tomorrow.

(Beto speaking Spanish)

♪ ♪

There's something very
inhumane and un-American

taking place right now, and,

at a minimum,
you need to witness it,

and share that,

and then, to the best
of your ability, act on that.

(Beto speaking)

Beto:
Very powerful was meeting
a young mother

who came from Honduras
with her seven-year-old
daughter.

When asked why did
you leave Honduras,

she was in fear for her life

and, more importantly,
her daughter's life.

And I don't know if that mother
knew when we were talking to her

that her daughter was
going to be taken from her.

I can only
imagine the trauma

experienced by that
seven-year-old girl
that I just met.

If my son was gonna
be pressed into

a violent gang,

I might also leave my country,
my hometown,

and make that
2,000-mile journey.

-Evans: Beto?
-Beto: Yeah.

(Evans talking)

And why do we wanna post
that story?

Evans:
Because it's
a ginormous contrast

in thinking
and ethics, in, um...

I don't know if you have
anything particular
you wanna say.

Beto:
Maybe you can say,

we can keep America safe
without sacrificing our values.

Evans:
Okay, got it.

♪ ♪

-(indistinct chatter)
-Beto: Thank you, Ms. Connell.

-Woman: Came in from Austin.
-Beto:
You drove in from Austin?

-Woman: Yeah.
-Beto: Thank you. God bless you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for being here.

Protesters:
Say it loud, say it clear.
Immigrants are welcome here.

Say it loud, say it clear.

Immigrants are welcome here.

-All right.
-(cheering)

You are beautiful!

We would like to think,

and we try to tell ourselves,
this is not us.

But ladies and gentlemen,

at this moment,
this is America.

(shouting angrily)

♪ ♪

-Crowd: Aye.
-Speaker: All those opposed?

The ayes have it, and the
permanent offices are elected.

Jody Casey:
David Wysong and I walked
in here last night,

and we were like, whoa.

He said, "Are we gonna
tell him how big it is?"

And I think he kind of knows,
but until you've been here,

he's never been to one.

This is by far
the largest crowd
he's ever spoken to, so...

(Casey speaking)

We're not using a teleprompter.

-We haven't written a speech.
-(cheering)

He's just going for it, so...

-Beto: Hey. How are you?
-Hi. Good to see you.

Come on in, we have
a room here for you.

Yeah, there's no
prepared remarks.

Lupe Valdez (over PA):
As the underdog, Hispanic,

female, lesbian Democrat

in a red county...

Beto:
Hello, Joe. How are you, bud?

-I'm good. How are you?
-Good to see you.

They stopped taking them
away from their parents,

which is good.
Now they got to reunite them.

(Hernandez speaks)

(Valdez continuing indistinctly)

You know, I don't know
is the honest answer.

I think in some cases,
the parents have already
been deported.

That's what happens
when you talk about

asylum seekers,
immigrants like animals,

and you call them
an infestation,

and you talk about Mexicans
like rapists and criminals.

There's something
that follows that

-and it's up to us.
-(cheering)

I really feel like this
is what this is all about.

We're either gonna
be that country

or we're
gonna stop it.

Announcer:
Your next United States Senator,
Congressman Beto O'Rourke.

(loud cheering)

Hi, everyone.

Harry Truman said, this country
was not built on fear.

Instead, it was built on

an unstoppable determination

to do the job at hand.

This zero-tolerance policy

that inflicted
unimaginable trauma

and pain and torture

on those kids just
when they thought
they had reached

this place, this ideal,
that they were inspired by,

this home when
they had no other,

we took those children
from their mothers
and from their fathers.

We put them in tent cities
like the one in Tornillo.

It is up to us,
the people of Texas, the people
right here in this room tonight,

to make sure that
we continue the fight.

We stopped family separation.

Now we gotta get those kids
and those parents together.

-Are you with me on this?
-(cheering)

Let's do it! Let's do it!

Come on, let's do it!

Thank you! Thank you all!

Thank you all! Let's do it.

Salas:
Where is there
a law that says

when you cross illegally,

you cross illegally,
that your families
will be separated.

If you look at a lot of
the European migrations
that happened

many of them
were fleeing the
same type of things

that they're fleeing
in Central America.

Estela Torres Powell:
I mean, this country
has always welcomed

immigrants and stuff like
that, but they do not--

But they came across honestly.

Salas:
When the right
can justify

separating families
and caging up children,

I don't understand that.

As Christians,
I'm sitting here,

how are people
justifying this?

They're thinking these
families came across illegally,

-so these children...
-Michael: That's not thinking
they crossed illegally.

-They did cross illegally.
-Salas: Fine... yes.

Michael:
And that means
the parents broke the law.

-Now the kid came along--
-But there is no law.

Michael:
What people really want

-is the borders
completely open--
-Salas: Nope! Nope!

Get it out of your minds
that the left want open
borders!

Because maybe
some left people
want open borders,

but, like, I don't,
and my coalition doesn't.

Are you gonna let her put
a Beto sign outside?

-Estela: Yes.
-Michael: No.

Salas:
Are you gonna put
a Ted Cruz sign up?

-Estela: No.
-Salas: You like Ted Cruz or no?

I just...

I don't know if
he really understands
everything that's going on.

But I cannot go Democrat,

because of one thing,
I know who they are and I know
what their history is.

I just can't do it.

They're socialist,
and I'm not gonna go socialist.

They're gonna have to shoot me,
that's all there is to it.

-(crying)
-It's okay, it's okay.

Estela:
Well, at least it's not yelling.

-You guys usually end up
yelling at each other.
-Amanda: We didn't this time.

-Estela: Well, yeah.
-(Michael speaks)

(laughing)

(Esther speaks)

Usually somebody
walks out.

(laughter)

♪ ♪

Julie Fine:
Texas Lyceum poll has
the race close to a dead heat.

Cruz leads 41 to 39,
it's with the margin of error.

Chris Hayes:
It's a race.

Evan Smith:
The Cruz campaign,
they're sounding the alarm.

There's no question about that.

Cruz:
We got a fight on our hands.

Our freedom is under siege.

Newsman:
But this race could still
go in any direction,

so O'Rourke has his
work cut out for him.

Newswoman:
What you're going to see is
Cruz try to define O'Rourke

in ways that can turn
off Texan voters.

Running as
an unapologetic liberal.

Open to abolishing ICE.

Full-on socialized medicine.

He says we have too many border
walls and fences already.

He would vote yes
to impeach Trump today.

You want a big government,
gun-grabbing liberal?

Well, the Democrats
are giving you one.

♪ ♪

Amy:
Do y'all have
something to drink?

Henry, can you eat?
'Cause we gotta go.

Amy:
Downtown 'cause
students from...

-Ulysses: Santa Fe.
-...Santa Fe High School

and Parkland High School,
in Florida, are coming
to speak tonight.

Those are two schools
that had the shootings.

And so the students
are traveling on a bus

all across the country
to go talk to people about

-what they're doing now.
-Ulysses: Wait, but...

Mm-hmm. That's how
they're spending their summer.

Amy:
What are they gonna
be talking about?

(Ulysses speaks)

Henry:
What does that mean?

The laws about how you
can carry around guns.

-What kind of guns you can use.
-Well then, why was that guy

carrying a machine
gun at the...

-at the parade?
-Amy: Oh, that's right.

So, we were at
the March for Our Lives parade

-in El Paso--
-Ulysses: And two guys
walked up to Dad with like...

-Yeah.
-...AR-15s, they're
like, "Ha, ha ha."

-Yeah.
-Henry: But why?

Well, because they
want to be able to

-keep their guns,
-Ulysses: Carry guns.

And they maybe don't
wanna change the laws

about guns. And so,
they were there...

telling their
side of the story.

♪ ♪

-(indistinct chattering)
-Hi!

-Amy: Amy O'Rourke.
-Hi!

What's your name?
Marcel.

-So awesome.
-Cool, cool.

We were so happy
that you're all here

and just appreciate
it so much.

Student:
Thank you.
It was nice to meet you.

Amy:
Yeah, you all, too.

McClinton:
My name is Marcel McClinton.

I just turned 17,
from Houston, Texas.

Excited to be here.
Let's get this going.

(cheering)

Student:
The weapon that the killer
in my school used,

an AR-15, if I were just 18,

and I went to a store,
I could buy one.

That's how easy it is.
There's no permit.

There's no check.
There's absolutely nothing.

Spend a day in my neighborhood.

Spend a day walking the streets
and hearing those gunshots
and just thinking,

I wonder which kid died today?

I have one ask of everyone here.

Other than voting for your kids
and your family and yourself,

if you take your phones out
real quick, you'll text Change.

Student:
How do you spell
change again?

C-H-A-N-G-E.

Cool, thank you.

(distant train whistle blowing)

-(phone ringing)
-Molly: Mom, I just
lost all my research.

(phone ringing)

Voicemail:
Your call has been
forwarded to a system.

Amy:
It's definitely
difficult for them.

There are weeks
better than others.

We've tried to figure out like,

can you FaceTime at night
so you can get to see the kids?

And for a long time,
that was really hard on me.

It was great for Beto
'cause he would get

to see their smiling faces
before he went to bed,

but then after
they hung up on the phone,

then they were in tears
and really upset.

So, we actually lately have
started writing letters.

Henry:
How do you spell hug, Mom?

-H-U-- G?
-Amy: Yep.

Will you read us
what you've written so far?

Henry:
You are my favorite
thing ever, daddy goat.

I have never seen
a dad as good as you.

You make me happy,

-very, very much.
-Amy: Aw.

♪ ♪

Beto:
I almost never turn
on the television.

I don't wanna watch Fox or CNN.

And most of what
I'm watching on Netflix,

Amy and I are
watching together,

and so we just kind
of have a rule that

neither of us moves ahead.

I'm usually reading a book

that doesn't have anything
to do with the race.

What I actually do
do sometimes,

which is a total waste of
time, is go on social media,

wondering where did the last
hour of my life just go?

I just really miss the kids.

Elevator:
Going down.

Beto:
They're having
to live their lives

without their dad being around,

and not maybe
totally understanding

why did you choose
to leave and go do this?

You could be here with us,
like, you didn't have to go
do this.

Amy told me one day
when I called to check in.

I said, tell what
everyone's doing,

and she said, well,
Henry's out playing baseball.

And I said, well, who's
he playing baseball with?

And she said, he's playing
baseball with himself.

He's just throwing the ball

up in the air and catching it,
which every kid does,

uh, but for some reason,
that was incredibly,
you know, um...

You know, kind of fucked me up
a little bit.

You know, like, I wanna be there
doing that with him,
and I'm not doing that with him.

That was a moment that it
really kind of hit home for me.

You know, I've been gone
for the better part
of two years now.

♪ ♪

-That's the TV station.
-The man's gotta go!

Okay.

-Just have a few quick
questions for you.
-Sure.

Can you tell me a little
about your strategy?

(speaking Spanish)

-Cano: Last one.
-I'll come back
here after this one.

Um, so, the question's
about marijuana.

-Congressman!
-Hi.

Monique on News Channel 9.
How are you?

-Yes, let's do it.
-Do it now.

(phone beeps)

I'm having a super
hard time right now.

To have the Wall Street
Journal reporter

asking me 50 questions
in an hour to, uh...

then right away sit down
in front of the NPR reporter,

dance for a little
while in front of him,

and then don't eat, get up,
and go into this town hall

and try to be genuine
and direct with people.

There's just like no time
for your brain to relax

and unclench,
and it fucking sucks.

Did you do notes
for the last trip?

I haven't because
we're still doing it.

-I don't know.
-I really think we need to
sit down with David, you, me,

-Joey, and--
-I believe--

We keep saying
we need to do that,

-and we just haven't done it.
-We haven't had a chance.

Beto:
Coming in late, when
we're only gonna spend

40 minutes is shitty, and...

you gotta keep us
on a better schedule.

(exhales)

Cano:
People are gonna be like,
hey, I emailed you,

or hey, I called you,
or hey, you didn't

follow up with this
or you weren't able
to help me and so...

You just--
The accountability...

-is much higher.
-Evans: The worst is

sometimes they'll add Beto.

And then he'll be like,
you didn't--

What the fuck, you didn't email
this person back?

I'm like, you know
where I've been!

He's like, figure it out.
Get it done.

-Figure out how to get it done.
-If you get

like 109 emails in a day,

and you respond
to 108 of them,

he will find the one person
you didn't respond to.

-And then he doesn't
take excuses.
-No.

-You can't ever say
"Well, you know--"
-You never, you just can't--

I'm deathly ill, Beto.
You don't understand.

-You just do it.
He does it, right?
-Figure it out.

♪ ♪

Beto:
Hi. Thank you for welcoming us.

Woman:
Thank you so much
for finding interest
in this work.

One of the things
I did wanna share is that

in the state of Texas,
220,000 young adults

will be arrested
annually.

Out of a population of
27, 28 million, 220,000.

Woman:
Of young adults.

-And that's just young adults?
-That's just young adults.

We have more black bodies
behind bars in Texas

than we do in higher learning.

Wow.

Frizell:
I was a judge for 19 years.

I've had people come to me
as a district judge and say

"Judge,
I'm a different person now.

I really want my record
to reflect who I am."

Think about the decisions
we made when we were 17.

-But for the grace of God go I.
-(laughter)

At the age of 21,

I was arrested for
criminal trespass,

and spent the night
in the county jail,

uh, was able to make bail.

Couple years later, um...

I made another far
more serious mistake,

and drove under
the influence

and was arrested.

As bad as those
mistakes were,

as a young white man

who had parents who could
afford to help me make bail,

I really did not
face the consequences

that so many others,

if they did not come
from my same background,

if they did not
look like me,

would have faced.
I just did not know that.

Jara:
And this is just the reality
of our community.

People are incarcerated
for simple traffic tickets

that they couldn't pay for

because they didn't
have the money.

♪ ♪

-(applause)
-Beto: Hey!

Thank you for the opportunity

to be here with you today,
for welcoming us.

First, I wanna hear
what's on your minds,

and so if you'll raise
your hand, I'll call on you,

and we'll just begin
the conversation. Sir?

Man:
I kind of wanted to know
if you found that
disrespectful--

the NFL players kneeling
during the national anthems?

Just I find it
incredibly frustrating

that people seem to be okay
with that.

My short answer is no.

I don't think
it's disrespectful.

-Here's my longer answer--
-(applause, cheers)

Try to make sure that
I get this right.

The freedoms that we have
were purchased not just
by those in uniform,

and they definitely were,

but also by those who took
their lives into their hands

riding those Greyhound buses.

The Freedom Riders
in the Deep South

-in the 1960s...
-(applause)

...who knew full well

that they would be
arrested, and they were.

Peaceful, non-violent protests,

including taking a knee

at a football game, to point out

that black men, unarmed,

black teenagers, unarmed,
and black children, unarmed,

are being killed

at a frightening
level right now,

including by members
of law enforcement,

without accountability
and without justice...

Evans:
I knew it was going viral
when it came out of his mouth.

This younger African American
woman looks at me

and is like, you hearing this?

And I was like, yeah!
Oh my gosh, I'm hearing it!

And she's like, that's amazing!
And I was like, yeah!

And I can think of
nothing more American

than to peacefully
stand up or take a knee

for your rights,

-anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
-(applause)

So thank you very much
for asking the question.

Evans:
It just went and it went,
and it kept going.

It went national.

Reporters, too.

Hey, Chris, we'd love
to have Beto on this week.

Oh! Now you know his name!

Greg Groogan:
Beto O'Rourke is
blowing up the Internet.

Nicole Wallace:
O'Rourke's full four-minute
answer has gone viral.

Daniel Marin:
Catching the attention
of many celebrities.

(Tweets)

I saw it, I tweeted it,
and I wanted

to meet you right away,
so thank you for being here.

-Thanks for having me on.
-Yeah.

-Yeah.
-(cheering)

Please welcome,
Congressman Beto O'Rourke.

(cheering)

Ascending to progressive
rock star status

may not translate
to additional votes.

Their saying there's
nothing more American

than taking a knee? Spare me.

This guy does not
represent Texas values.

Cruz:
I gotta say, I can think of

some things more American.

How about every soldier and
sailor and airman and Marine

that is out there, fighting
to defend this nation?

(cheering)

(Evans speaks)

Does he say that
I hate America?

(Evans speaking)

Who talks about
mainstreams anymore?

Hey, you know what one
thing that may or may not
be helpful,

Chris, when you're talking
to these reporters,

is what...

If you wanna know who
the guy is, ask him a question,
and he's just fucking honest.

Sometimes, it's wonderful,
sometimes it causes us

-no end of misery.
-Yeah.

Evans:
Yeah.

(Beto speaking)

Beto:
And I can think of
nothing more American

than to peacefully
stand up or take a knee

for your rights,

anytime, anywhere, anyplace.

Man:
Nothing more American?

Liberal Hollywood was thrilled,

but do Texans agree?

I gave two legs for this
country, I'm not able to stand,

but I sure expect
you to stand for me

when that national anthem
is being played.

(applause)

Man:
In November,
where will you stand?

Cruz:
I'm Ted Cruz,
and I approve this message.

Yeah. Wow.

Wysong:
So, the Cruz campaign,
they've got their negative hit,

and that's what they wanted.

We're seeing a ton, almost
exclusively negative ads now,

um, on TV, and subsequently,

Beto's favorability
have gone downward.

Cameraman:
So, do you guys now
have to attack Cruz?

Wysong:
I just don't think
it's the campaign
that Beto wants to run,

but it's certainly
super-effective.

Woman:
Open borders, open season
for drug traffickers,

MS-13.

That's too much risk...

(indistinct chatter)

Casey:
How many days away are we?

Twenty-two?
Is that right?

-Man: Yep.
-(whispers): Is it 22?

-Woman (on phone): Twenty-two.
-Twenty-two!

Woman:
A week before early.

-I know.
-(over phone):
Hey, this is Alex...

Casey:
So, it's hard right now because
there's a poll out there,

the Quinnipiac poll,

and it did not
show any difference

between September to now,

and it showed Beto
down by nine.

I wonder is it because of all
the negative attack ads on Beto?

Is it because we're not
punching back hard enough?

(man speaking over phone)

Casey:
Everyone will tell you that
you can't beat an incumbent

without going negative.

So, we are trying
to defeat that theory,

um, but at the same time,
when you see a poll out

where we're still down by nine,

everyone is telling you
you're doing it wrong.

-Everyone.
-(cameraman speaking)

All the time.

So, I just wanna
emphasize to everyone

that although the debate
starts at 8:00,

we wanna have everyone there

by 7:00 so that they get in.

We have a debate with
Ted Cruz tomorrow night.

It gives Beto the ability
to really punch back.

I'm totally anxious.

Oh! I don't even know
if I can sit there
through it. Aah.

♪ ♪

(indistinct chattering)

This is my camera
right here,

so you know,
I'm able to do this.

Man: We'll bring you out
a minute or two

before the actual debate
begins, and we'll have you

come out from around this corner
as we introduce the candidates.

(Beto speaks)

-Sarah.
-Beto: Sarah.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(woman speaks)

Beto: Cool, thanks.

Jason Whitely:
We welcome our viewers
from across the state

watching this debate
live tonight

in all corners of Texas,
so let's get right to it.

Congressman O'Rourke
voted in favor

of a $10 a barrel tax

on every barrel of oil
produced in the state
of Texas.

This is what you can expect
over the course of this debate.

Senator Cruz is not going
to be honest with you.

He's gonna make up
positions and votes

that I've never held
or have ever taken.

He's dishonest. It's why the
president called him Lying Ted,

and it's why the nickname
stuck because it's true.

-Wysong: Right that down.
-Beto: Senator Cruz,

who shut down the government of
the United States of America,

for 16 days, perhaps
because he thought

too many people had
too much healthcare.

-Cruz: Not true.
-I want people to
have more healthcare.

Congressman O'Rourke
has come out

for impeaching
President Trump.

If Congressman O'Rourke
has his way,

two years of
a partisan circus.

Really interesting to hear you
talk about a partisan circus

-after your last six years
in the US Senate.
-(audience laughing)

Listen,

if you have this
special relationship

with President Trump,

then where is
the result of that?

You were all talk and no action.

We need a senator who will
work with the president...

-Whitely: That is your time.
-Beto: ...and stand up
to him where we must.

Whitely:
Mr. Cruz, Mr. O'Rourke,
thank you for sharing tonight.

-We appreciate that.
-Forgany: Thank you very much.

(applause)

(cheering)

Beto:
Charlotte was emoting
everything I needed to say

-in the front row.
-(laughter)

Like, every time Ted Cruz was
talking, you were like,

-(mouthing)" "What the fuck
is he talking about?"
-(laughter)

Beto:
You did, you did.
You kept me focused.

Oh my gosh.

Mm.

(laughing)

Nice job.

(laughter)

Did we do
all right, Wysong?

-Yeah.
-Were there tears?

(Wysong speaks)

(laughing)

Dana Bash:
You've been saying that people
are sick of the pettiness

in politics, yet
during Tuesday's debate

that you had
with Senator Cruz,

you took a page right out of
President Trump's playbook,

and you called
Senator Cruz "Lying Ted."

Why did you do that?

Perhaps, in the heat
of the moment,

I took a step too far.

-Do you regret it?
-You know... (stammering)

-I don't...
-(laughter)

I don't know that that's
the way that I wanna be

talking in this campaign.

♪ ♪

Newsman:
With little time left
in the Texas senate race,

both candidates are
pulling out all the stops.

Groogan:
Incumbent Ted Cruz is
calling in the cavalry,

and President Donald Trump
is answering the call.

I'm not on the ballot,
but in a certain way,

I'm on the ballot,
so please go out and vote.

Newsman:
Coming into the final stretch,

O'Rourke's outreach is focused
on young people and minorities.

Newsman 2:
Nearly 60,000 people turned out

to see soul singer Leon Bridges

and country legend
Willie Nelson

at a rally in Austin tonight.

There are 250 voter
registrars here today,

willing to help you
get registered to vote.

-You gonna be there?
-(crowd roaring)

Salas:
This outta the way so that way

we can see the little front part
where it says register to vote.

No, I think
I'm gonna do it

somewhere out here because
I want the foot traffic.

There we go. We are over here

at Cine El Rey,
downtown McAllen.

It's about to be seven o'clock.

It's the last day
to register to vote,

and so we're out here,
making sure that

everybody in the community
has an opportunity.

Gonna be here until midnight.

This is one of the hardest
places in the country

to organize.

What works in other places

absolutely does not work here.

I mean, the apathy
is disgusting,

and it's real.

-So real.
-Yeah.

I mean, I hope
I'm wrong. I hope--

I'm hopeful. I think
there is already--

I think
there's already

a wave of something,
a small ripple--

-I think that there is a ripple.
-A small ripple.

Y'all registered
to vote?

Uh, no.

No? You don't wanna register
to vote? Today's the last day.

-Girls: No.
-All right, thank you.

Salas:
Hey, are you guys registered to
vote? It only takes two minutes!

-Today's the last day.
-(man speaks)

Okay.

-I know they're lying.
-They're lying, of course.

Martinez:
Are you all registered to vote?

Today's the last day
to register to vote.

-You registered?
-It takes two minutes.

(man speaks)

Man (laughs):
I want to drink a beer.

Salas:
Today's the last day!
If you know any friends,

tell them to come register!

She'll change her mind
when they start taking away
her rights.

(indistinct chatter)

Beto:
This state should lead the way,

not only in ending the
prohibition of marijuana...

-(cheering)
-...but expunging
the records for everyone

arrested for possession
of a substance

that is legal in most of
the rest of the country.

-(cheering continues)
-We can lead on that as well!

Amy:
When I'm on the road
with Beto,

we're totally energized by
everybody else's enthusiasm.

That you're like,
how can we not win this?

We're gonna do it.

And so, that's when
you wonder, you know,

are you in a bubble when you're
out there talking with folks

and feeling that
energy and, you know,

what are our chances
and are we gonna be able
to pull this off?

Amy:
Hey, guys!

-(chattering)
-Whoop! Come on. I'm sorry.
Here. Come over here.

-Ulysses: Look at my hands.
-(Amy gasps)

-Ulysses: They're frozen.
-Amy: Here you go.

Amy:
How was school?

Ulysses:
Good.

-Amy: Anything interesting?
-Ulysses: No.

-Molly: Uh-uh.
-Amy: Nothing?

Molly:
No.

Amy:
On Friday, and I'll be back
before you get out of school.

Ulysses:
Usually, it's my dad
who isn't here very much,

but now, like, my mom's gone
probably, like, three days
a week now.

And so for half of the week,
there's, like, no one there.

Then can I just go
to Paco's house?

Amy:
To sleep over?

I think you're gonna
stay with Meemaw.

(sighs)

Ulysses:
I'm ready for it to be over.

Zack Malitz:
Okay. Tuesday, November 6th

is the day the world ends.

-(laughter)
-There is no day after that.

What we have to do
if we wanna win

is we need to turn out

a million more voters than
would vote in a normal midterm.

There is nothing
more effective

than person to
person contact,

at increasing voter turnout.
And so, if we...

tap quietly on the door

and then run away,

-we are not gonna
net a lot of votes.
-(laughter)

We have to get the doors open.

-If someone is in the house...
-(applause)

...we have to get
them to come out!

(cheering)

I love that you're
applauding for that!

That is the best thing!

Elections are a matter
of life and death.

This is possibly
the most important thing

that many of us will
do with our lives.

Beto is moving mountains
for this state
and for this country.

It is our job
to take it the last mile.

(cheering)

All:
Phone bank!

All:
Canvas!

All:
Win!

All:
Phone bank, canvas, win!

Phone bank, canvas, win!
Phone bank, canvas, win!

(applause, cheering)

(lively chattering)

Vote, vote, vote,
vote, vote...

(imitates trumpet)

(Wysong speaking)

(Evans speaking)

Yes. Yes, I am, okay?

This is what
nervous energy does.

Hey, how are you?

I was calling to see what
you're hearing,

if you're hearing
anything other than...

I don't know,
anything. (laughs)

Yeah. Well, if it
looks like 2014,

then whatever.
We can all go home.

♪ ♪

-(cars honking)
-(cheering)

-(cheering)
-Wysong: Historically,
campaigns do

these massive rallies

while the polls are closed.

So, we're gonna try to do
that a little differently.

The theory behind
all of it is

to have as many eyes
on him doing the thing

that you want people to do.

-(noisy chattering)
-Do you mind if I get up here?

(cheering)

The hope that you
have given to me

and to one another,

this is the moment where we
turn all of that into action.

(cheering)

(Evans speaking)

Wysong:
Yeah.

Cooking with gas!

(cheering)

First-time voter!
What?

♪ ♪

There we go! Next!
Come on up! Come on up!

Cano:
All right, over here!

(cheering)

We must save our democracy!

I don't wanna go back!

-I wanna go forward!
-(cheering)

Beto:
Thank you all!
Thank you very much!

Thank you!

All right. Thank you all.

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Oh, thank you.

Thanks. Yeah.

(speaking indistinctly)

(cheering)

We are. Yeah.

We're gonna do it, and
you're gonna be part of it.

♪ ♪

Beto:
We are 242 years

in this extraordinary
experiment,

but nothing guarantees us

another year in this
great democracy.

You all ready
to do this?

(cheering)

(cameras clicking)

Newsman:
The big caravan is heading

towards the
Texas-Mexico border.

How would you handle that,
what's going on right now?

I don't think that we need to
respond with paranoia and fear,

the anxiety that some are
trying to stoke right now.

We're bigger,
we're better than that.

Drama unfolding south
of the border tonight.

Thousands of migrants
marching north through Mexico,

hoping to reach the US.

Newsman:
President Trump today tweeting

"Criminals and unknown Middle
Easterners are mixed in."

And guess what? We're not
allowing them in our country.

Michael:
A lot of these are gonna be
criminals on the streets.

What's to assume that they're
all automatically criminals?

You assume it
because you have to.

-Why?
-Because you cannot
assume it any other way.

-Why? I don't understand
that reasoning.
-Let me put it to you this way.

I look at America
as my home.

Which means if somebody came
busting down my door over here,

and 15 or 20 people
walked in here and says,

"I'm coming in.
I wanna live in your house.

-You're gonna take care of me--"
-Maybe it depends on what

your news source is. That might
also have something to do with

what issues you're seeing.

Just because
I watch Fox News,

which has liberals
on there, by the way.

Cameraman:
So, do you think that this issue

is impacting how
people are voting?

-Yes, it is.
-Yeah, I think so.

This is--

This immigration
thing right now

is the primary issue right now,

for this whole election.

Newsman:
Beto, what do you
make of Cruz and Trump

talking about
the caravan so much?

Um... Why this is happening now,
why the president is...

stirring these issues
up at this moment

with 24 hours before
we decide this election?

I'll leave that to
you to conclude.

Man:
Oh hey, what's up man?

(indistinct chattering)

This is the polling
place across the street,

where O'Rourke will vote.

For O'Rourke to pull
off an upset win today,

he needs gangbusters turnout

across the state.

That'll be the story to
watch here all day today.

-(shutters clicking)
-Man: Right behind you!

(indistinct chattering)

Eh.

-(laughter)
-Huh? She said "Eh."

-You voted at Mesita?
-Wysong: Mm-hmm.

-There was a line? Good.
-Good.

-(speaking Spanish)
-Good morning.

Congrats.
We made it this far.

Yeah.

-Amy: How'd it feel
voting, Cynthia?
-It was good.

It's a crazy feeling
today, right?

♪ ♪

Gay:
Today is the day that
we have worked so hard

for the last two years.

So, we're here. We're at
the cusp of it tonight.

A full-blown race
towards sanity.

All of us can say
we've done everything.

Everything we
could possibly do,

and we're racing across
that finish line.

(honking)

Woman:
Go Beto!

Beto, Beto, Beto!

(honking)

Can we get a picture?
Eric is a first-time voter.

Yay!

-First-time voter!
-(cheering)

Do you know what
day today is?

What's today?
Do you know?

Hart:
Do you know why
today is important?

Have your parents voted?

That's good.

Let's hand out buttons,
let's hand out buttons.

(children clamoring)

Beautiful. He's got some
more, he's got some more.

Salas:
Hi, is Christina home?

My name's Amanda Salas,
I'm with Battleground Texas.

I'm calling people in your area

to encourage you to go vote for
the Democrats in this election.

We're calling because
it's Election Day.

Do you know if you'll
be voting Democrat

up and down the ballot today?

-(ringing)
-He's actually-- Oh!

-(cheering)
-Yeah, so he's like...

(speaking Spanish)

-I'm like--
-(rings bell)

Hey, Beto!

-I voted for you!
-You did?

(cheering)

No way.
Oh my gosh.

Did you vote already?

How come?

-Ah.
-No papers? It's okay.

Then you pray for
Beto, okay? Okay.

There was a meme that
described me earlier.

You know how when
you're in a group project,

and you did all your work,
but you don't know

if everybody else
fucked everything up?

-That's where I'm at right now.
-(laughter)

I know I've been
working my ass off,

but I don't know if
everybody else has been.

Woman:
Beto, we've got a fireman

who voted for the first
time right here.

Beto:
First-time voter?

-Woman: A fireman!
-(cheering)

Have you had a chance
to vote yet today?

Okay. Was there
any way we could

count on your
support for Beto?

-Oh. Thank you.
-(door slams)

Oh my.

Blitzer:
This is the moment our
people are waiting for.

The first results
about to come in.

We're watching it oh so closely.

A high-stakes night
here in Washington.

We're standing by for
the first votes this hour.

(TV playing indistinctly)

Okay, guys, you gotta know
this. I have offered

when he wins, if he has to
take over Ted Cruz's office,

I will go do
a spiritual cleansing

on that office.
I don't want Cruz cooties

-on our boy.
-(laughing)

And I mean that.

-(indistinct chatter)
-Ken Batista: It's still early,

but Democrat
Beto O'Rourke has a lead

on Republican Ted Cruz...

(cheering)

All:
Beto! Beto! Beto!

I just can't get excited yet.

Not at 60%. We're at 60%.

That's... the margin
of error is too close.

Last time people got
excited this early,

was a presidential election,

and I can't do that
to myself, personally.

-(cheering)
-It's still way
too early to call.

Beto:
Hey, Wysong,

do you wanna go in and just see
what it looks like in there?

What kind of
line there is,

or if there's still
people still voting?

-(laughs)
-Yeah. We'll see.

We need it to
continue at some rate.

Me, too.
I'm still hoping it.

For all of those
who are still in line,

there were a couple polling
places that stayed open late

in Harris County in
the Houston area. Stay in line.

That polling place will stay
open as long as it takes

for the last person in that line

to get to the front of
the line and cast their ballot.

Beto:
Thanks for coming
out and voting!

The lights are now off

at the polling site,
which hopefully,

that voter got to vote before...

before they turned it off.

Blitzer:
We're just moments away,

moments away from this,
the biggest round

of poll-closings tonight.

Williams:
We have a big call,
this is out of Texas.

-All: No! No!
- NBC News is projecting

Ted Cruz will return--

-Oh! No!
-(groaning)

And Republicans will
be guaranteed control

of the Senate as a result.

Fuck!

Shut the fuck up.

It's a 78--

The Latinos turned out in
greater numbers

than they have
ever turned out.

But it wasn't
enough.

Fuck.

We have been talking about

how remarkable it is
that Beto O'Rourke

would get this close.

It feels, for it to be
called at this point

after watching it
on such a knife edge,

feels like a blunt
ending to this.

♪ ♪

(indistinct chatter)

So, it's
9:00 now...

("Don't Stop Believing"
playing outside elevator)

Let's get a little more
information because they'll...

Man:
We have a crowd of
about 6,000 people.

-Beto: Awesome.
-Man: Yes, sir.

-Beto: Good?
-Yeah.

(music playing louder)

(cheering, applause)

Man:
Thank you, Beto!

(cheering continues)

All:
Beto! Beto! Beto!

-Hey! How are you, man?
-Good to see you.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Beto:
You guys, family.
Everybody, come on. Jimmy.

Come on,
guys. Jody?

Let's all get over here
together, real quick, huddle.

Come on, everybody get in.

All right.

I love you guys so much.

There's no way,

physically, biologically...

-(laughter)
-...on the amount of sleep
and Whataburger that we've had

that we are still
standing right now...

It was love that
carried us through,

and it's something
that will persist

after we've disbanded
as a campaign,

and it's something great
and we just released that.

And so, I just feel

very, very, very lucky,
and I love you guys

more than you'll
ever know and...

I know I was a giant asshole
to be around sometimes...

-(laughter)
-...and you all never allowed

my shortcomings to
get in the way of

running the best campaign

this state has
ever seen. And so,

I just am just super,
super grateful.

Love you guys,
all of you, so much.

(crowd chanting):
Beto! Beto! Beto!

(loud cheering, whistling)

Crowd:
Beto! Beto! Beto!

(cheering)

Beto:
El Paso, I love you so much!

I was inspired.

I'm as hopeful

as I have ever been

in my life. And tonight's loss

does nothing to diminish

the way that I feel about
Texas or this country.

(loud cheering, whistling)

This campaign holds
a very special place

in the history of this country

every day going forward,

and you have made
that possible.

-(cheering)
-Every volunteer,

every ambassador,

everyone who knocked on doors,

everyone who made phone calls,

everyone who allowed
themselves to hope,

and to believe.

I'm so fucking
proud of you guys!

(cheering)

Yes!

-Yes! Yes!
-(clapping)

I paid for that one!

(laughing)

Oh, get it out!

-Beto (on TV):
...United States of America!
-(crying)

(cheering on TV)

I am honored to have been
able to do this with you.

I am grateful forever,

and we will see you out there

down the road!

Thank you, El Paso!
Thank you, Texas!

Thank you every
single one of you

for making this possible!

I am grateful!

I am grateful! Thank you!

(crowd roaring)

Crowd (chanting):
Beto! Beto! Beto!

(indistinct chatter)

Well, you did
make us cry,

-so don't worry about it.
-(laughter)

I love you.

You ready to go home?

(kids chattering)

Come on, buddy.

(sighs)

Oh, this sucks!

This fucking sucks,

but we're gonna be okay.

Trish:
We didn't knock
enough doors.

I mean,
that's what it is.

We didn't knock enough doors.

Gay:
We did all we could do.

We're gonna let him go home
and enjoy his children,

get reacquainted with his wife.

Let him have some downtime,
and then get him ready for 2020.

This is
a simmering fire.

This is just
the bed of coals.

This is the bed of coals here,

and we're just getting cooking.

(McClinton speaking)

(cheering, chanting on video)

Salas:
I'm pretty heartbroken
about Beto.

But this is one battle.

This is one battle, and we won
a lot of other battles tonight.

You know, Texas is officially
a battleground state.

A lot of people didn't think

that was gonna happen until
2020, if it ever happened,

and we made it very clear

that Texas is now
a competitive state.

I had a lot of people
messaging me tonight.

"I don't know what
I'm gonna do now."

And I'm like, you're gonna
cry about this tonight,

and tomorrow
we're gonna work.

(speaking Spanish)

-Molly: Thank you.
-Beto: You're welcome, Molly.

(Henry speaks)

I am gonna stay home tomorrow.

(Amy speaks)

(Molly speaks)

(Henry speaks)

-Beto: You ready, Molls?
-Amy: Yeah, let's do it.

Henry:
Do what?

-Go to bed.
-Get you guys to sleep.

(indistinct chatter)

(plates clatter)

-Did you end up eating?
-I just had biscuits.

(sighs)

I need to figure out
what to do with all my shit

-in DC.
-(laughs)

-We'll figure it out.
-Yeah.

People have brought out
the very best in themselves.

Somehow, we've gotta be able

to continue to feel that way.

That this cannot be
the defeat of the hope

that you feel, or the purpose
that you have in your life,

or the things that you
wanna see this country do.

It can't, and I don't
think it will be.

I...

believe too much in people,
and they're too strong.

Everyone's got it in them
and through this campaign,

we're reminded of that, and...

we get to be a part of it,
which is just fucking amazing.

Just like the most amazing
thing in the world.

So cool.

And so, you know,
maybe in some way,

and you may
disagree 'cause

I think I'm a lot more

cheesy and sappy than
you are, but I think

maybe we did what we were
supposed to do. Like...

(slaps table)

You know.

So, maybe that's it.

("Runnin' Down A Dream" playing)

♪ It was a beautiful day ♪

♪ The sun beat down ♪

♪ I had the radio on ♪

♪ I was driving ♪

♪ The trees went by ♪

♪ Me and Del were singing ♪

♪ Little runaway ♪

♪ I was flying ♪

♪ Yeah, runnin' down a dream ♪

♪ It never would come to me ♪

♪ Workin' on a mystery ♪

♪ Goin' wherever it leads ♪

♪ Runnin' down a dream ♪

♪ I felt so good ♪

♪ Like anything was possible ♪

♪ Hit cruise control ♪

♪ And rubbed my eyes ♪

♪ The last three days ♪

♪ The rain was unstoppable ♪

♪ It was always cold ♪

♪ No sunshine ♪

♪ Yeah, runnin' down a dream ♪

♪ It never would
come to me ♪

♪ Working
on a mystery ♪

♪ Going wherever
it leads ♪

♪ Runnin' down a dream ♪

♪ Woohoo ♪

♪ Woohoo ♪

♪ Woohoo ♪

♪ Woohoo ♪

♪ Woohoo ♪

♪ I rolled on ♪

♪ The sky grew dark ♪

♪ I put the pedal down ♪

♪ To make some time... ♪

♪ I'm picking up ♪

♪ Whatever is mine ♪

♪ I'm runnin' down a dream ♪

♪ It never would come to me ♪

♪ Workin' on a mystery ♪