Beto O'Rourke: 'Don't think we're interested' in an Obama endorsement

Democratic congressman Beto O'Rourke said he’s “not interested” in an endorsement from President Barack Obama as he attempts to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in the midterms.

O’Rourke was speaking after a town hall at a local high school when he addressed the unsettling fact that Obama has endorsed 11 Texas Democrats, not including himself, The Texas Tribune reported.

“I don’t think we’re interested" in an endorsement, O’Rourke said. “I am so grateful to him for his service, he’s going to go down as one of the greatest presidents. And yet, this [election] is on Texas.”

The congressman said that this isn’t the first time he’s run without a presidential endorsement. He beat Rep Silvestre Reyes in 2012, despite his opponent receiving endorsements from Obama and former President Bill Clinton, the paper said.

“What that drove home for me is that someone else’s popularity is not transferrable to a given candidate,” O’Rourke said.

Cruz, who has received an endorsement from President Trump, will face O’Rourke for a debate, their second, on Oct. 16 as they scrap over Cruz's Senate seat.