July 15-21: Forging Connections

One thing that separates Beto O’Rourke from the other presidential candidates is his
dedication to making personal connections with his supporters. This week, O’Rourke travelled to
Sioux, a conservative county in Iowa where 81% of voters voted for Trump in 2016, a place
where he wouldn’t find many supporters. However, he decided to make personal connections
with the other 19% of voters, those who are more likely to support his run in 2020. He took these
connections to social media, telling stories about the children he met at the town hall, and the
stories he heard from people in Sioux. This seems to be O’Rourke’s main strategy, finding the
Democrats in Republican areas, all the way back to his run against Cruz in Texas. O’Rourke
spent his time in Iowa documenting his personal canvassing as well. Pictures on both his
Instagram and Twitter show him with families in Iowa that he is personally introducing himself
to. At first glance at his social media platforms, O’Rourke looks like a candidate running for city
council in a small town. That's what makes him stand out from the rest of the candidates, he truly
makes himself seem like just a regular guy.