WATCH LIVE: Beto O'Rourke's first national town hall on CNN

Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke is set to hit the national stage during a town hall with CNN hosted by Dana Bash.

The Tuesday night town hall will take place in Des Moines, Iowa. O'Rourke has held nearly 175 town halls throughout the country in coffee shops and diners, however, this is first one on CNN.

Critics of O'Rourke scrutinized him over the celebrity-like roll out of his campaign and noted that he lacks real substance. His decision to appear on CNN shows a shift in campaign strategy.

"In an effort to rejuvenate his presidential campaign -- which hasn't yet benefited from the kinds of viral moments that catapulted him into the limelight as a Senate candidate last year -- O'Rourke recently began participating in nationally televised interviews," a report from CNN noted.

The former congressman from Texas admitted that the roll-out of his campaign which consisted of a Vanity Fair cover shot along with him declaring he was "born" to be president, was rooted in privilege.

"I was attempting to say that I felt my calling was in public service," he said. "No one is born to be President of the United States of America -- least of all me."

Watch O'Rourke's town hall live below at 10:00 p.m. EST: