Can you get more done out of elected office . That is a great question. I think it is all of the above. I have been able to be effective as a black republican in a latino district. I have had about 16 pieces of legislation signed into law. Easy. Not our system was designed not to be easy. I am proud of my legislative success. Im proud i have decided to be someone who is known as one who wants to solve problems and i will work with anyone in order to do that. I would tell young folks, get involved. This should be something you aspire to. I want to tell my peers that we should model the behavior we want when young people get into office. I want kids to feel like, i want to be a Police Officer a fireman , an astronaut, but i also want to be a member of congress. Right now, our job approval as congress as a whole is not very good. We should be thinking about this as we move forward. The other piece of advice i would give young folks is go out and have a career before you get into politics. The reason i have been able to be effective is i have a decade in National Security, in cybersecurity. I was able to take that experience and bring it to congress. Thats why a lot of the legislation i have passed is on National Security. I have been able to be more effective in a shorter time than most and my legislative record is better than a lot of other leaders because i have expertise and i brought that to congress. That is something i would advocate for. For me, there are many ways to serve your country. I would like to encourage folks to serve in the state department, in the cia, in the peace corps. Have that experience and then bring that back to their government. So, my short answer is all of the above. After watching the movie, i am excited. I have crisscrossed my district and talked to many high school, middle school, elementary schools. I try to hit them all. People always say they are worried about the future of this country. Im not because i see these young kids that care more about things. When i was in high school, i was interested in playing basketball, running the streets with my buddies, watching the latest movie that came out, playing video games. So that is exciting. Margaret you turned 43 this week, a ripe old age. You are young for a member of congress. You are a gen xer. We are talking to people in their 20s, gen z. They are living through a pandemic. They are watching the white house respond to it and our National Elected leaders response. It seems like we have a conflict between science and politics. It seems like politicians have met an impasse. After the first round of stimulus, everything is at stake. The postal service. Are we going to be able to vote . Do you see this as a moment of shame . How do you interpret the very turbulent and frustrating times we are in right now . Rep. Hurd i think the way we get out of this is we follow the lead of i think his name was stephen, who was running for governor, and he talked about, he wanted to go and listen to people. He wanted to hear their concerns. Thats the message, thats something i have tried to do since i was in congress. I was able to be effective and be a model for others because i represent everybody in the district, not just the people who voted for me. I think when we really focus on the issues that people care about, putting food on the table, a roof over their head, making sure people are healthy and happy, that is going to resonate with folks. People want to see us getting things done and solving problems. Unfortunately, there are those on both sides of the political aisle that believe contrast is the way to win elections. And that has been successful in the past. But back in the day, it used to be the good policy was good politics. I think sometimes that has been flipped. I think we could use this time and the craziness we are all going through to say we demand people to solve problems. You have to solve them at the local level, the state level, and the federal level. I think this is an opportunity for us. We need folks to make hard choices. Its not easy getting attacked from both sides. Its not easy trying to show a middle way. But it is doable. And in the end, people care about results. That is what i have found. That is why people are frustrated right now. They are not seeing it. The first three care packages why did they work . Because we negotiated them at the beginning in a bipartisan way. The only way we get big things done is by doing it together. And the first three packages we did. Margaret you have expressed some frustrations with president trump. You are a republican and the president is a republican. I know you have been thinking hard about how you will vote in november. Have you made a decision and would you share that . Rep. Hurd i am looking at both choices. I disagree when i disagree and i agree when i agree. What i want is someone to come in here and show that the way you solve problems is by empowering people, not by empowering government. I want someone who recognizes that the way we issue peace is by working with our friends, being nice with nice guys and tough with tough guys. I want someone who recognizes and understands the way you help people up the economic ladder is by making sure that when we are talking about the free market, not socialism. These are things i am look for in this upcoming election. These are the things people are frustrated with. I want to make sure we have two strong parties. I am proud to be a republican and making sure we grow the party for people that havent even met a republican. When i first came into office, people were like, i have never met a republican. So for me, that is what my goal is. That is what i want someone ultimately to do. Margaret one last question, but it is important. What are you doing next . Are you running for Political Office and when . What is your goal after november . Rep. Hurd i am going to stay at the intersection of National Security and public policy. I will be doing that, helping some highspeed, low Drug Companies do that. If the opportunity comes to lace up the shoes again, i will reevaluate. I am looking forward to making an impact a different way. Margaret congressman, please stay in touch with us. Thank you for joining us today. Rep. Hurd thank you. Margaret our next guest is another texan, beto orourke, former punk rock band man, congressman, and president ial candidate, joining us live from el paso. Mr. Orourke good to be with you. Margaret i know you are busy because you launched powered by people last december. Can you tell us more about what you have been doing. We are talking about gen z americans. How much of what you are doing relies on engaging young people . Rep. Orourke there are a host of opportunities in texas right now. We look at the november election. This is the first chance in 20 years to gain democratic control of the state house. As you know, the statehouse after the 2020 census will be tasked with redrawing political districts throughout the state of texas. As you probably also know, that power has been used to disenfranchise black voters and latino voters for more than 100 years. Texas until recently ranks 50th in the country in turnout democracy you see here in texas. If we get a democratic majority, we can begin to draw people back into their democracy, draw them back into a reason for voting it really have a fully functioning democracy. The second big opportunity is for texas for the time in 44 first years to award our Electoral College votes to the democratic nominee for president. Jimmy carter in was the last 1976 democratic nominee to be able to that. I strongly believe that if texas does this, the impact on american politics will be seismic. It will once and for all end the Trump Presidency and trumpism in america and allow us to start the next chapter. To the last part of your question, young people are going to be the vanguard of this. We saw in 2018, i came very close to beating ted cruz. I won more votes than any democrat had ever won. Young people led the day. Young voter turnout was up 5 in early voting in texas over the last midterm election. You name an issue whether it is , reproductive choice, climate change, access to health care, fighting back against this pandemic, young people are on the front lines, forcing the conversation and the necessary change that needs to follow. So both at the ballot box and organizing to hold accountable leaders we are counting on young , people right now. Margaret you think the Biden Campaign really understands what the opportunity is or really believes it is as close as you do . Do you expect him to court texas in the campaign and the convention . Rep. Orourke no. [laughter] but that is nothing new. Texas has really been on its own. I mentioned it has been 44 years since texas voted for the democratic nominee for president. We have been left to our own devices for the majority of that time. But there has been an extraordinary Self Reliance born of texans, run by texans, with texans volunteering to reach out to their fellow texans, be they 18 before the election or be with a 98 years old, and this might be the last election they vote in. Our organization, powered by people, has made more than two and a half million phone calls. Not robo calls, not prerecorded texans,exans calling inviting them into the most important election of our lifetimes. We have been working to register eligible texans to vote. We have registered 77,000 of them so far ahead of this election, and most of them likely democratic voters we have helped to register. So, i feel really good about what texas is doing. Whether or not the dnc or the Biden Campaign fully invests the opportunity texas represents, texans, i believe, will carry the day. We are going to invest our time. We are going to invest what resources we have to make sure that we meet this moment. I feel really good about texas right now. Margaret you know, i think when we talk, and we have been talking for years about texas flipping democratic, and we talk about it largely in terms of demographic trends, the latino population in texas. I am wondering if thats what you think is going to make a difference, or is it the coronavirus . Do you think the pandemic will make it more or less likely for that flip to be possible . It is an issue to have a lot of people engaged. At the same time is leading to hardship of economic crunch, and concern about being able to turn out in person to vote. Which way do you anticipate it is going to cut . Rep. Orourke i think if you look at where texas was already going so in 2018, i came within two and a half point of cruz. But we also elected two new democrats to congress, both replacing long serving republicans. 12 democrats to the statehouse, leaving us with a deficit of only nine. In the nine districts we picked up we won more votes than ted cruz, so we know it is possible. 17 africanamerican judges were all elected in harris county, all of them women. In 2018. So this state is moving in the right direction moving in the , right direction quickly. And then you have the extraordinary failure of leadership in texas. In the midst of this pandemic that has cost more than 10,000 of my fellow texans their lives. As we all know, this is not affecting all of us equally. It is disproportionately impacting and in fact decimating the latino population in texas. You look at the rio grande valley, star county, those are 90 to 95 , and they have run out of space in the morgues and funeral homes. They are stacking the dead bodies in refrigerated trucks right now. This failure of leadership, of epic, monumental proportions, is not lost on the electorate of texas texas. Given the fact we still have to contend with covid after november 3, it will be on voters minds. They are looking for confidence and those will prioritize saving lives over politics, something we need in texas. Margaret for all the movement and population growth in texas, there are still a lot of ideological conservatives in texas. Every bit as much a rockhard texan as you do. That goes to the question of polarization, which has gripped congress. If you are talking to people in their 20s right now, are you advising them to run for National Office . Or is it as awful as it seems it is, and you think it can have a bigger impact at the state or local level than congress right now . Rep. Orourke yeah, i think those are all false choices. There are a million different ways to serve, and all of them are necessary. I mean right now i am serving in a volunteer capacity calling , voters across texas to make sure they are ready to turn out ahead of the most important election of our lifetimes. There are people running for office firsttime candidates, an , extraordinary number of them by the way, statehouse candidates who are women, women of color, and black women in a state that has long been known for the racial suppression of voters in texas. And wouldnt that be wonderful if one of the most diverse states in the country, that boasts the most diverse city in the country, houston, texas, but elected a majority that looks like the state . So it is necessary for those candidates to be running. And especially for those firsttime candidates, i am just inspired by their courage. And then it looks like we are going to pick up some u. S. Congressional seats as well. Again some of these are firsttime candidates who are running. We would not be able to win if they did not put themselves out there. Tough . Ics yeah, but so is being a truck driver, a schoolteacher. These are all necessary jobs. We need people to step up and do it. Margaret we are out of time. As we go i want to ask you one , more question because there has been controversy over the post office and what it will mean forgetting your vote in on time. How are you advising firsttime voters to vote and what are you advising them to do . Not only how to check the ballot i dont mean who to vote for, i mean how to vote. Rep. Orourke yeah. Look in texas, given the , deadliest pandemic since 1918, most of us are not allowed to vote by mail. , 65 yearsse who are and over, make sure you request that ballot, and once it comes in fill it in, and send it back. ,there is no question. For everyone else, vote in early voting. Do not wait until election day. Early voting. If there are lines, they will be much shorter. It is very convenient. And most counties you can vote , at an early voting location, so close to work, close to home, close to school, easier to get it done. By all means, you have to vote. You do not want to look back on this election, this moment, and wonder what if. Lets make sure we leave it all on the field, do all we can while we still can. Margaret beto orourke thank , you for bringing us up to speed and spending time with us today. Rep. Orourke thank you. Appreciate it. Margaret and thanks to all of you for joining us this afternoon for another virtual conversation i hope has made everyone smarter and faster. Keep coming back every day this week and next week to take part in our axoios virtual event. During both conventions. If you liked todays conversation, if you would like to sign up for more, check out our newsletters at signup axios. Com. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] announcer 1 cspans washington journal. We will discuss policy issues that impact you. Monday morning we will talk about the day in the week ahead for the Republican National convention with the Hills National reporter al weaver. Also a discussion of campaign 2020 and africanamerican voters with pw shannon, Advisory Board member of like voices for trump black voices for trump. Be sure to join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, texts and tweets