The mother of Texas Senate candidate, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, came to Lubbock Sunday morning to address voters at one of O’Rourke’s campaign offices.
It was her first time in West Texas, but Melissa O’Rourke visited the Hub City to share stories of her son and his family, and to get to know the volunteers and voters in the area, she said.
“I think people just want to know some stories about Beto and his family. I think I’m getting more out of it than the people here but I think just bringing the family and showing the support he has,” said O’Rourke.
O’Rourke addressed multiple topics, one of which included the origins of her son’s name, which has been scrutinized by some voters.
“I had no idea about some of Beto’s early life and his mother pointed out, among other things, that his nickname Beto goes back to when he was a toddler. Some people say it was just added to appeal to the Hispanic vote but it’s genuine from the get go,” said Richard Peterson, a voter in attendance on Sunday.
When asked about how she handles hearing negative comments regarding her son, she said she tries not to pay attention to them since she ‘knows the truth.’
“I think it’s just unfortunate and I think it’s maybe reflective of the candidate if the only issues they can talk about are negative things they try to pull together,” said O’Rourke.
Both Cruz and O’Rourke have visited Lubbock multiple times, and are set to face off in a debate in October.