At Henrico town hall, Beto O’Rourke calls on Democrats to show up in more rural, conservative areas

Several hundred people packed a July 19 town hall in Glen Allen held by Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who called on Democratic leaders to mobilize in areas of the country often “taken for granted” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

O’Rourke’s visit to The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen was part of a host of town halls the former U.S. Congressman is holding across the country in places such as Austin, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, but also in more conservative areas such as Alabama, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

O’Rourke, who voiced support for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and other Democratic candidates running in the 2026 midterms, encouraged Democrats to show up “everywhere for everyone” – including more rural areas in states like Virginia and Texas.

“The Democratic Party continues to invest in Northern Virginia, they're going to go where they've always been successful, but how about Central Virginia and Coastal Virginia and Western Virginia?” He said. “How about the places that are taken for granted altogether?”

Not only are voters in many remote, rural counties overlooked by both Democrats and Republicans, they are often “functionally and effectively going unrepresented,” O’Rourke said.

“In these rural areas, Democrats stopped showing up, and Republicans, who were winning the elections, they no longer had to show up either, because they didn't have a competitor on the ballot in November,” he said. “So no town halls, no campaigns. Once you're elected, you're elected for life, unless you're defeated in the Republican primary.”

Addressing an unsurprisingly partisan audience, O’Rourke also called on Democratic leaders to continue fighting for key progressive policies and stop “rolling over” and “submitting” on both the national and local stages, especially on issues such as Medicaid and healthcare coverage, as well as protecting immigrants and other vulnerable communities. 

“I think Democrats very often care more about being right than they care about being in power. I think Republicans, and especially the MAGA movement, care about being in power, period,” O’Rourke said. “We’ve got to throw that rule book out the window right now. The old Democrat locked in your head – ‘Well, Beto, that’s not right, that’s not fair’ – F**k what’s right!”

During the town hall, O’Rourke responded to different questions from attendees, such as how Democrats can get more young people involved within the party and how Democrats can better mobilize in rural areas.

Ryan Murphy, who came from downtown Richmond to attend the town hall, pushed O’Rourke on how the Democratic party can create a broad coalition without giving up its core, progressive values and without abandoning the most marginalized communities. For Murphy, who describes himself as left-wing, O’Rourke represents a Democrat who is actually willing to fight for the vulnerable populations he represents.

“Honestly, I've just been really frustrated with the lack of response to everything that's been going on, especially from the Democratic Party at large,” Murphy said. “I was really delighted to hear [O’Rourke] present sort of a different vision, one that's founded in policy, rather than just being like, ‘Oh, it'll be better than what we have right now.’ For him to lay that out was really refreshing for me as both a young person and a Democrat.”

Karen Gill, a therapist who lives in Eastern Henrico, said that her concerns about losing healthcare coverage and the concerns she has for the immigrants in her community prompted her to get more politically involved, and also seek out community support through political events.

“I think [O’Rourke] is one of the most dynamic people, and I really wanted to hear what he had to say because it feels pretty overwhelming right now. I always want to find something that gives me a foothold in the solution,” she said. “And I agree with him so much that we have to find a way to use our voices and use our power.”

Several local Democratic leaders, including state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, were among the attendees at the town hall, as were multiple Democratic candidates for Virginia’s First District seat in Congress, which has been held by Republican Rob Wittman for the past two decades. 

But for O’Rourke, the fact that five Democrats are running to represent a historically-Republican district could signal that the political tides may be turning in Virginia, and the large turnout at the town hall is a hopeful sign that people are ready to fight and show up for Democratic candidates in upcoming elections, he said.

“I was encouraged that two different people introduced themselves as candidates for Congress in the First District. And people wouldn’t get into that race if they didn’t think that there was a chance that a Democrat could win,” he said. “People want to do something, they want to be part of something. Person after person has told me that they’re so fired up now to get out there, volunteer, be active, and do their part.”

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.