Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke has been holding events across the state in his 49 day Drive for Texas rallies in the hope of courting voters who don't traditionally vote for Democrats.

As Texas Public Radio reported, Beto O’Rourke’s rural Texas push attracts hundreds in deep-red Fredericksburg:

Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for governor, hopes to court voters in areas that have traditionally voted for conservative politicians. On Wednesday, he brought that hope to Fredericksburg, a Hill Country town northwest of San Antonio. The event attracted more than 800 people.

Fredericksburg is the county seat of Gillespie County, which supported former President Donald Trump in 2020 with nearly 80% of its 12,000 ballots cast during the election.

This exchange during one of those events this past week was very touching.

O'Rourke's visit came just after the entire three person staff at the Gillespie County Elections Department resigned over threats made against the former elections administrator since the 2020 election. Welcome to the new GOP Gestapo America.

O'Rourke addressed the threats during the meeting:

Last Wednesday, the Fredericksburg Standard Radio-Post reported that now-former Elections Administrator Anissa Herrera and her staff had received death threats. “I was threatened, I’ve been stalked, I’ve been called out on social media,” she said. “And it’s just dangerous misinformation.”

While speaking in Fredericksburg, O’Rourke compared the alleged threats to attacks on democracy.

“If you were one of these folks who cares about our democracy, watching three election workers almost run out of town in Gillespie County for trying to tell the truth and count the votes from a lawfully decided, legitimately voted on election,” he said, “We’re gonna make sure that we get it back – free and fair elections again - in Texas no matter who you want to go for or your political party. We just want to make sure that you can safely and fairly do it.”

O’Rourke called for electronic and same-day voter registration: two features Texas does not currently employ.

Hannah Thomas, a 24-year-old Fredericksburg resident, described her community as a small town that’s “not-so-conservative anymore.”

Some supporters of Greg Abbott showed up trying to disrupt the event, but it doesn't sound like it went over so well.

Several supporters of Gov. Greg Abbott and Trump gathered outside a pavilion at Lady Bird Johnson Park and played sirens and loud country music with the apparent intent to disrupt the rally.

After approaching the opened side doors of the venue, O’Rourke briefly turned his attention to them.

“Lest we be annoyed or judge these Abbott people, let’s have a little bit of sympathy,” he said. “Their candidate never shows up to talk to them and listen to what they have to say in Fredericksburg so they had to come to our stuff.”

Last week, O’Rourke made national headlines for using a swear word against a heckler in Mineral Wells who laughed while O’Rourke was speaking about the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde.

Abbott still has a lead over Beto in the polling, but I'm hopeful this means the pollsters are wrong.