Beto O’Rourke is still playing coy about his intentions to run for president or not. The El Paso Democrat just taped a one-on-one interview with Oprah Winfrey which airs later this month.
After losing to Sen. Ted Cruz in November, O'Rourke has chosen to travel and meet with voters privately. He told Oprah he's excited about "doing something."
“Have you given yourself a deadline? I'm serious about that,” Winfrey asked amid laughter from the audience.
“The serious answer is really soon,” O'Rourke replied. “Before the end of this month.”
Bill Miller, political consultant with Austin-based HillCo Partners , says he would be surprised if O'Rourke didn't enter the race, adding he remains a favorite among Democrats despite disappearing for a few months.
“He's been told I love you, why don't you get in the race? And when a candidate hears that often enough from enough people it becomes its own persuasion and I think he's persuaded to make the race,” says Miller.
But Miller still thinks O'Rourke remains a long shot considering the number of Democrats entering the race and his lack of experience on the national level.
“If you're a declared candidate the media will run to you for a response,” he says. “If you're not a declared candidate it's hard to get into the conversation, so if he wants to be in the conversation he needs to become a candidate.”