Beto O’Rourke diagnosed with a bacterial infection

(CNN) — Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a “bacterial infection” and that after receiving hospital care, he will be “resting at home,” postponing events in his anti-virus campaign. Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

“After feeling unwell on Friday, I went to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where I was diagnosed with a bacterial infection,” O’Rourke said in a statement. “While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the recommendations of the doctors. I am sorry that I had to postpone events due to this, but I promise to return to the fray as soon as I am able,” he added. .

Beto O’Rourke.

He thanked the staff at Methodist Hospital. “The extraordinary team there, from the custodians to the nurses to the doctors, gave me excellent care, including intravenous antibiotics and rest,” O’Rourke said.

The diagnosis comes at a critical point in the Texas gubernatorial race, as O’Rourke looks to cut Abbott’s lead in the race.

The former congressman first rose to national stardom with a nearly unsuccessful 2018 Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. But his unsuccessful run in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary left his national brand badly dented in the eyes of many within the party.

And Republicans argue that many of the positions he took during that campaign, including advocating mandatory buybacks for assault weapons, will hurt him in Texas.

Despite that, O’Rourke remains popular with Democrats at home, building a far larger following in Texas than any other Democrat in a generation. In between his campaigns, he remained active, campaigning for state legislative candidates and activating his volunteers when the state’s power grid failed in early 2021.

CNN’s Eric Bradner contributed to this report.