Still, the Senate race thrust O'Rourke, who served three terms in the House, into the national spotlight. In his Senate race against Cruz, O'Rourke often blurred their policy differences on issues like trade by saying the two agreed. Throughout that race, O'Rourke had insisted he would not run for president -- but that stance shifted after he lost. O'Rourke refused to hire pollsters for his Senate campaign and only employed a digital consulting firm. While speculation about a presidential run built after his closer-than-expected Senate loss, some of it has died down in recent months.

Source: CNN March 14, 2019 10:01 UTC