The race—and pressure—is on for Beto O’Rourke in the new trailer for HBO’s Running With Beto. The documentary goes behind-the-scenes with the then-hopeful senatorial candidate as he attempts to unseat Ted Cruz. The documentary will debut on May 28th.
Filmmaker David Modigliani embedded with O’Rourke’s grassroots campaign for a year as O’Rourke worked his way through 254 Texas counties to unveil his message and attempt to defeat the Republican stronghold in the state.
The clip opens with O’Rourke on a literal run before he’s seen hitting the campaign trail where he’s met with hundreds of smiling supporters. Still, despite unorthodox efforts, such as going live on Facebook for 24 hours, doubts prevail.
“Because of all the negative attack ads on Beto, because we’re not punching back hard enough, everyone is telling you you’re doing it wrong,” a campaign worker says in the clip. Meanwhile, the sacrifice suffered from being on the road away from home life is taking its toll, with one of his children saying he’s ready for it to be over and O’Rourke affirming how much he misses his kids.
Despite the challenges, the trailer culminates with a resolute reminder of why he decided to run in the first place. “People have brought out the very best in themselves,” he says. “Somehow we gotta be able to continue to feel that way.”
