Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) met last month with former President Obama, just days after the Texas Democrat lost his Senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R), The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The meeting was held Nov. 16 at Obama’s offices in Washington, D.C., amid speculation that O’Rourke could launch a White House bid for 2020.

{mosads}O’Rourke has received praise from several Obama’s allies who said they see similarities between the former president and O’Rourke.

Obama has called O’Rourke an “impressive young man” in a recent interview “The Axe Files” podcast, hosted by Obama’s former strategist, David Axelrod.

“It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed,” Obama said of O’Rourke’s Senate campaign. “And that, you’d like to think, is normally how things work. Sadly it’s not.”

O’Rourke was narrowly defeated last month in his effort to unseat Cruz, but he is viewed as a possible frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic nomination. He has said he is considering a presidential run.

One recent poll showed O’Rourke trailing only former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) among potential 2020 Democratic candidates.