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Beto O'Rourke | |
|---|---|
 O'Rourke in 2024 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 16th district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Silvestre Reyes |
| Succeeded by | Veronica Escobar |
| Mayor pro tempore of El Paso | |
| In office June 14, 2005 – June 20, 2006 | |
| Mayor | John Cook |
| Preceded by | Anthony Cobos |
| Succeeded by | Presi Ortega |
| Member of the El Paso City Council from the 8th district | |
| In office June 1, 2005 – June 27, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Cobos |
| Succeeded by | Cortney Niland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Francis O'Rourke September 26, 1972 El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Amy Sanders (m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Pat O'Rourke Melissa Williams |
| Education | Columbia University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
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|---|---|---|
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2018 U.S. Senate campaign
2022 gubernatorial campaign
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Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (/ˈbɛtoʊ/ BEH-toh, also /ˈbɛdoʊ/ BED-oh; Spanish pronunciation: ['beto]; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Rourke was the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018,[1] a candidate for the presidential nomination in 2020,[2] and the party's nominee for the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election.[3]
O'Rourke was born into a local political family in El Paso, Texas, and is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School and Columbia University.[4] While studying at Columbia, he began a brief music career as bass guitarist in the post-hardcore band Foss. After his college graduation, he returned to El Paso and began a business career. In 2005, he was elected to the El Paso City Council, serving until 2011; he served as mayor pro tempore during his first year in office. O'Rourke was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 after defeating eight-term incumbent Democrat Silvestre Reyes in the primary.
After being re-elected to the House in 2014 and 2016, O'Rourke declined to seek another term in 2018. Instead, he sought the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ted Cruz, running a competitive campaign that drew national attention. Despite losing the election to Cruz by a margin of 2.6%, O'Rourke set a record for most votes ever cast for a Democrat in an election in Texas.
On March 14, 2019, O'Rourke announced his candidacy in the 2020 United States presidential election. He suspended his campaign on November 1, 2019, due to a lack of traction and financial issues. He later endorsed Joe Biden on the same day as Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg.[5]
On March 1, 2022, O'Rourke won the Democratic nomination for the Texas gubernatorial election.[6][7][8] He was defeated by Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in the election.[9]
- ^ "Ted Cruz defeats Beto O'Rourke in difficult re-election fight". The Texas Tribune. November 6, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Burns, Alexander (November 1, 2019). "Beto O'Rourke Drops Out of the Presidential Race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Siders, David (March 2, 2022). "The establishment strikes back: 5 takeaways from the Texas primary". Politico. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WP2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Burns, Alexander (November 1, 2019). "Beto O'Rourke Is Dropping Out of the Presidential Race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ "Beto O'Rourke launches 2022 bid for Texas governor". www.cbsnews.com. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ "Exclusive: Beto O'Rourke is Running for Governor". November 15, 2021.
- ^ "Democrats nominate Beto O'Rourke to run for Texas governor". Associated Press. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott easily wins re-election, beating Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, NBC News projects". NBC News. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.