BURSTLongtime Republican strategist Karl Rove criticized Beto O’Rourke as one of the Democratic Party’s “lesser lights,” after he said his fellow Democrats are lazy.
Rove joined Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom,” on Tuesday, bringing out his whiteboard to criticize the Texas Democrat. O'Rourke slammed Democratic leadership as "lazy” on a different broadcast over the weekend.
“I think our party unfortunately has gotten lazy and overly enamored of seven so-called battleground or 'blue wall' states to the detriment of Alabama and Mississippi and Texas and Louisiana,” O’Rourke said on MSNBC. “Those are our fellow Americans, too. And I don’t blame them for saying, ‘Hey, the Democratic Party hasn’t been showing up for me, and listening to me, fighting for me.’”
Fox host Bill Hemmer asked Rove what he thought about O’Rourke’s statement. Rove pointed to his whiteboard, which showed O’Rourke’s failed campaigns, including for a Senate seat, for governor race and a 2020 presidential bid.
“Well, I don't recognize that guy. I do recognize a guy named Robert Francis O'Rourke, and let's remember his record: He lost a Senate race in Texas, his presidential campaign imploded because of over amount of naval gazing, and he lost the governor's race.” Rove said.
“So what he's recommending is that the Democrats prioritize Mississippi and Alabama. Good luck on that. There's going to be no chance in our lifetime to turn those states blue,” he continued.
Rove noted the Democratic Party is in “bad shape” and has to “begin anew,” similar to what several Democrats have said. He argued that the question will be, whom will the Democratic Party follow next, whether it be Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or a “left wing candidate” that “didn’t work,” in the recent election, or someone else.
Rove criticized O’Rourke and other Democrats, including Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who he said are trying to use the party’s uncertainty to their own advantage.
“So, we’ll see how the Democrats sort this all out. But right now, it’s a circular firing squad led by, in my mind, people like O’Rourke … and Jasmine Crockett for God’s sake,” Rove said. “I mean, we’re talking about the lesser lights of the Democratic Party who are attempting to use this moment to try and shine a little bit more light on them and advance their own political careers at the expense of the party.”
As the Democratic Party grapples with its brutal 2024 election losses and how to stand against the Trump administration, some strong voices have emerged, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who ran alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris in the recent election.
Many of those Democrats have opted for town hall events or rallies across the country to generate enthusiasm as Americans grow frustrated with the Trump administration.
O’Rourke’s remarks on MSNBC over the weekend follow those from a town hall he held in Texas. He said he would run for Senate again in Texas if voters in the state wanted him to.