O’Rourke endorses progressive criminal justice priorities

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) endorsed a series of progressive criminal justice proposals Thursday in an essay for the Brennan Center for Justice.

In the essay, published Thursday alongside others from fellow 2020 contenders such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the Texas lawmaker announced support for several priorities firmly in line with the Democratic Party’s left wing.

{mosads}Among the proposals he endorsed included plans to end cash bail at the state level, make for-profit prisons illegal, and end mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

The former Texas congressman also vowed to confront the “over-policing of black and brown neighborhoods” as well as ending the federal prohibition on marijuana.

It’s shameful that our country has the world’s largest prison population. One comprised disproportionately of people of color; built on prosecuting some communities for nonviolent drug offenses & not others, even as people of all races use illegal drugs at roughly the same rate.

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 16, 2019

“Ultimately, this is about ensuring that every single one of us — regardless of race, ethnicity, or class — can live to our full potential with equal rights and equal dignity. We will build a future that is more just, more fair, and more prosperous for every single person,” O’Rourke wrote on Twitter.

O’Rourke’s endorsement of criminal justice reform proposals came as his campaign has struggled to make headway against a crowded field of competitors, and the former congressman regularly polls in the single digits behind higher-tier contenders such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders.

His poll numbers have receded since entering the race with millions of dollars in fundraising earlier this year, and he has reportedly worked to relaunch his campaign with a media tour after months of low-key events with voters.