Twitter (Luis Mireles) and Twitter (Ian Sams)
Beto O’Rourke is holding his second rally today in Houston, Texas near the same location where Kamala Harris’ rally was held just one week earlier. The rally is at Texas Southern University at 3100 Cleburne Street at the Recreation and Wellness Center. Kamala’s Houston rally was held inside while Beto’s is being held outside (with a contingency plan to move inside if it rained.) Even before Beto took the stage, crowd estimates put Beto’s attendance at more than four times greater than Kamala’s a week before. Beto’s rally was attended by about 10,500 people, while Kamala’s was attended by about 2,400 people.
The photo above shows a picture from Beto’s rally on the left shared by Luis Mireles on Twitter. He wrote, “Here is a better pic showing how packed we are getting in anticipation. Glad I got here way early.” The photo on the right is from Kamala Harris’ rally, shared by her press secretary Ian Sams. Read on for more details about both rallies and the crowd sizes.
Beto O’Rourke’s Rally Has Drawn a Crowd of 10,500, More than Four Times Greater than Kamala’s
Rob Friedland, senior advisor for Beto 2020, reported that local police estimated 10,500 people were at Beto’s second rally of the day. About 2,000 to 6,000 people attended his first rally in El Paso.
Per local police, 10,500 people on hand at @TexasSouthern in Houston for @BetoORourke’s second rally of the day! Houston showed up!
#Beto2020 #BetoForPresident
Beto’s Houston rally attendance is more than four times greater than Kamala Harris’ rally, which was estimated to have an attendance of 2,400 per her campaign and local police. You can see photos and details about her rally in the second section below this one.
A long line of people was waiting for O’Rourke’s rally hours before it started. The rally was held outside, while Kamala’s was inside. One person who was at both said unofficially that they thought Beto’s had two to three times more people, even before the official estimates were released.
Here’s a photo of people waiting in line:
The event was scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. but it’s starting a little late. KHOU estimated it might not start until around 6 p.m., about an hour later than planned. By 6:10 p.m., the rally had just started. This likely means that the Austin rally will be starting later too. It was scheduled to start at 9 p.m., about two hours after the Houston event was scheduled to end at 7 p.m. A marching band did perform right around 5 p.m., but then the rest of the event was put temporarily on hold.
A punto de que comience el mitin de arranque de campaña presidencial de Beto O’Rourke en Houston (Texas). Fue una de las sensaciones de los demócratas en las elecciones de noviembre y ahora es un candidato ilusionante e impredecible
As you can see, the venue was packed:
Here is a better pic showing how packed we are getting in anticipation. Glad I got here way early. #Houston #Rally #beto2020 #BetoForAmerica #Beto
Here’s another great view:
About an hour before the event was beginning, it drizzled outside, but not enough to send the event inside.
It’s raining on Beto’s parade — well, just drizzling — as the crowd gathers for his rally in Houston, the second of three today across Texas.
The merchandise table sold out quickly.
But the crowd remained.
Waiting for @BetoORourke with thousands of our friends. More people still arriving. #Houston #Beto2020 #Beto
Beto was flying commercial to his Houston rally from El Paso, so it’s understandable that things might have been delayed.
Kamala Harris’ Rally Drew a Crowd of 2,400
About 2,400 people attended Kamala Harris’ event just one week earlier, according to her campaign’s national press secretary, Ian Sams.
Ian Sams also shared that about 3,000 came to HBCU, Harris’ rally in Atlanta, Georgia the next day. Kamala Harris’ rally was packed. In fact, there was a very long line just waiting to get in to see her:
Doors are yet to open for @KamalaHarris’ rally in Houston. @BetoORourke has previously spoken at @TexasSouthern, an HBCU, but at a bigger venue, a student tells the Examiner.
Some said the line was so long, they couldn’t see the beginning or the end:
@KamalaHarris rally in HOUSTON #Texas Line so long I couldn’t see the beginning or end of it! #TexasMatters2020 #VotingBlue
She attracted a crowd at her event.
She also enjoyed a diverse attendance.
YES! The crowd of 2,400 gathered at a historically black school showed Kamala Harris’ ability to attract a diverse gathering- older white voters from the Houston area, Latino students from the University of Texas at Austin, and a large contingent of African American voters. YES!
Kamala Harris’ rally still had a reputable turnout, even though Beto O’Rourke’s rally drew more than four times more people. Kamala’s had 2,400 people in a state that isn’t her home state, while Beto’s had 10,500 in his home state. It will be interesting to see what Bernie Sanders’ rally turnout is once he visits Houston, Texas.