Gillum reached out to O’Rourke amid 2020 speculation: report

Andrew Gillum, the Democrat who ran for Florida governor this year, recently reached out to Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) amid speculation that O’Rourke will run for president in 2020, according to NBC News.

Gillum and O’Rourke spoke on the phone and discussed their desire for someone who is “young and unapologetically progressive” to lead the Democrats, NBC News reported, citing two anonymous sources.

{mosads}Gillum initiated the phone call, which was the first time that O’Rourke and Gillum had ever spoken, according to NBC News.

The two Democrats emerged as stars on the campaign trail this year, but both fell short in their respective races. O’Rourke was defeated by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in his bid for the Senate, and Republican Ron DeSantis edged out Gillum in Florida’s gubernatorial race.

O’Rourke is viewed as a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. He initially said he didn’t plan to run for president, but has recently left the door open to the possibility.

In addition to speaking with Gillum, O’Rourke has also met recently with Democratic activist Rev. Al Sharpton and former President Obama. 

The congressman finished near the top of a poll earlier this month of possible 2020 Democratic candidates, trailing only former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).