Beto O'Rourke visits Iowa with new campaign focus: Trump and gun violence

DES MOINES, Iowa — Democratic candidate for president and former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke returned to Iowa on the heels of announcing a campaign reset, forcefully condemning President Trump's rhetoric and focusing on curbing gun violence.

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But O'Rourke did return to Iowa, his most recent three-day swing echoing the promises of the new tide for his campaign. He hosted a town hall in Des Moines dubbed "Standing up to Trump" and roundtable discussions on immigration and gun violence. His trip came on the heels of visits to states like Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi, and he shared anecdotes about those experiences with Iowans while on the stump.

"We need to not just talk about bringing everyone in, we need to show up for everyone in order to do that," O'Rourke told reporters after his Des Moines town hall. "In early states like Iowa, I have and will continue to do that, but also in these other states that are very often left behind or aren't even heard from."

When asked if he is concerned that shifting his campaign focus and spending less time in early states would concede the caucus race to one of the other 20 candidates, O'Rourke said he is not concerned. But he added on a recent appearance on Iowa Public Television's "Iowa Press" that it was necessary to clinch one of the coveted "three tickets" out of Iowa--- vaulting in the top three on caucus night.

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