Beto O\'Rourke to run for 2020: source

Beto O'Rourke is running for 2020.

That's according to a source close to the campaign on Wednesday (March 13), who said the Texan will announce his presidential bid Thursday (March 14) morning.

He'll seek the Democratic nomination while hoping to leverage the fame he gained with his senate race.

O'Rourke was an underdog last year when he challenged Ted Cruz, a Republican, in mostly conservative Texas.

He managed to gain supporters and media hype nonetheless and ultimately lost the race by less than 3 percentage points.

It was the closest U.S. Senate race in Texas for four decades.

Early opinion polls on the 2020 race have consistently ranked O'Rourke in the top tier out of more than a dozen possible Democratic contenders.

He's only behind former Vice President Joe Biden who hasn't said yet whether or not he'll run and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who announced his candidacy last month.

O'Rourke is expected to formally announce his bid on social media early Thursday morning.