O’Rourke not planning, but not ruling out big fundraisers

Beto O’Rourke said Saturday he does not have any plans to hold large-dollar fundraisers for his presidential campaign, but declined to rule out the possibility of such events in the future.

“I’m not planning to do large-dollar fundraisers,” O’Rourke told reporters in Iowa.

“Right now, we’re ruling out taking any PAC money, any lobbyist money, ever,”  the El Paso Democrat added. “I have no large-dollar fundraisers planned and I don’t plan to do them.”

.@BetoORourke in this clip tells reporters in Dubuque…

— He’s not planning large-dollar fundraisers but hasn’t ruled them out.

— He’d support his campaign unionizing if it wants and plans to pay the most.

— It’d be “very difficult not to select a woman” as the VP nominee. pic.twitter.com/qSRvrCsHhR

— Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) March 17, 2019

{mosads}O’Rourke entered the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates last week, joining Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), among others, in seeking the nomination.

The former three-term congressman proved to be a fundraising juggernaut in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last year, raising millions of dollars. He has not yet disclosed his fundraising totals in the days since he announced his presidential candidacy.

While many candidates have pledged to not accept money from corporations and have ruled out forming super PACs, Warren has taken it a step further.

She pledged late last month that her campaign would forgo “fancy receptions or big money fundraisers.”