Former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke was the latest politico to campaign in Tucson for Kamala Harris, with a pair of events Wednesday and Thursday centered around young voters.

O’Rourke kicked off his visit with a Young Professionals Happy Hour at Crooked Tooth Brewing Company Wednesday evening, where he rallied support for the Harris-Walz campaign and encouraged attendees to take action in the upcoming election.

Activists, supporters and excited students gathered on the outdoor patio, with attendees receiving lotería-inspired posters of Harris featuring the phrase “La Presidenta.”

O’Rourke continued his outreach Thursday on the University of Arizona campus, where he spoke at an event co-sponsored by Wildcats for Harris-Walz and Democrats Gen Z Votes. He stressed the importance of voter turnout, especially in battleground states like Arizona and addressed issues such as voter suppression, women’s reproductive rights and gun control.

O’Rourke emphasized that while Democrats have been working hard in Texas, Arizona could be the key to victory in the upcoming election. 

“If we don’t win those 40 Electoral College votes in Texas, well, it comes down to you in Arizona,” he said. “This is literally going to be the battleground that decides the fate, the future, the fortune of the United States of America. So no pressure, Arizona, but we cannot be found wanting at this moment of truth.” 

UA student Corbin Hanson shared a similar thought with Tucson Spotlight.

“I think that getting turnout amongst young voters will be very important, especially for the Democratic strategy,” he said. “People ages 18-29 lean heavily left and their turnout is historically low amongst other demographics, so promotion like this will be very important for the cause.” 

O’Rourke pushed back on the idea that young people don’t show up to vote, noting their historical importance in driving change.

He emphasized that young people were at the forefront of the civil rights movement, including a 24-year-old John Lewis, who led a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama in 1965 and risked his life for voting rights. Lewis went on to become a long-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Georgia’s 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.

This, O’Rourke argued, is a lesson for today’s generation. 

“A lot of the really smart people in politics say you are wasting your time being with young people. They talk a good game, they may align with you on the issues, but they just don’t lead,” he said. “My answer to that is that at every major turning point of this country’s history, the future has been led by young people.”

He urged students to recognize their power in this election, particularly given Arizona’s pivotal position.

“All of their struggle, all their sacrifice, all of their service has come down to us at this moment and what we do with this great inheritance that is going to define us in the eyes of our kids, in the pages of history and will determine what is possible for this great country,” he said.

Megan Robertson, a UA student and a longtime supporter of O’Rourke, hailing from Round Rock, Texas, said she was excited that O’Rourke highlighted voter suppression and women’s reproductive rights. And even more excited that Arizona voters have an opportunity to help decide on the latter.

“Very exciting to see that there’s Proposition 139 regarding women’s right to choose to have an abortion,” she said. “I’ll definitely be voting ‘yes’ on that one and I’m hoping others will choose to do the same. It’s super important regarding medical health.”

She also conveyed O’Rourke’s concerns about voter suppression, noting that some Arizona propositions could potentially make it harder for voters to get issues on the ballot. 

“Proposition 134 is going to change the way that percentages are needed to bring up a petition to be a proposition and that’s going to make it more difficult for something to be on the ballot,” she said. 

In the final moments of his address, O’Rourke rallied the crowd, urging them to keep up the momentum for the next 12 days until the election.

He reminded attendees that their efforts today would resonate through history, saying, “Everything that we care about is on the line.” 

Spotlight reporters Isabela Gamez and Angelina Maynes contributed to this story.