Beto O'Rourke

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Beto O'Rourke
Beto O'Rourke, Official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 16th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by Silvestre Reyes
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
(1972-09-26) September 26, 1972 (age 45)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Amy Hoover Sanders (m. 2005)
Children 3
Education Columbia University (BA)
Website House website

Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (/ˈbɛtoʊ/; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative from Texas's 16th congressional district in his native El Paso, elected in 2012. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2018 Texas Senate race, challenging Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

O'Rourke won the general election held in November 2012, defeating U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary earlier that year.[1][2] The district includes most of El Paso County. Prior to his election to Congress, O'Rourke was on the El Paso City Council, from June 2005 to June 2011.

On March 31, 2017, O'Rourke announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the 2018 election.

Early life, education, and music career[edit]

O'Rourke is a fourth-generation Irish American,[3] born in El Paso, the son of Melissa Martha (Williams) and El Paso County Judge Pat Francis O'Rourke.[4][5] He was nicknamed "Beto", which is a common Spanish nickname for "Roberto", before kindergarten.[6][7] His father was a political associate of former Texas Governor Mark White. Judge O'Rourke was killed in July 2001, at the age of fifty-eight, when he was struck from behind by a car while riding his bicycle over the New Mexico state line.[8]

O'Rourke attended Carlos Rivera and Mesita Elementary Schools and El Paso High School. He graduated from Woodberry Forest School in 1991. In the early 1990s, he was a bassist[9] in the band Foss, which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocalist for At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta) on vocals and drums, Arlo Klahr on vocals and guitar, and Mike Stevens on vocals and guitar. The group released a self-titled demo and a 7" record, "The El Paso Pussycats", on Western Breed Records in 1993. They released a subsequent album, "Fewel Street", in 1995, also on Western. Foss toured the United States and Canada in the summer of 1993 and again, along with Bixler's concurrent band, Los Dregtones, in the summer of 1994.

O'Rourke attended Columbia University where he captained Columbia's rowing crew.[10] He graduated from Columbia in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.[11] He was arrested in 1995 on burglary charges after he tripped an alarm while jumping a fence at the University of Texas-El Paso, but prosecutors declined the case. O'Rourke received deferred adjudication on a 1997 drunken driving arrest and was not convicted. He called the incident "a mistake."[12][13] He is fluent in Spanish.[14]

Business career (1995–2005)[edit]

Following college, O'Rourke worked at Internet service providers in New York City[15] before his return to El Paso in 1998. The following year, he co-founded Stanton Street Technology, an internet services and software company that develops websites and software.[15][16] His wife, Amy, operates the business as of March 2017.[17]

El Paso City Council (2005–2011)[edit]

Elections[edit]

In mid-2005, O'Rourke ran for the El Paso City Council, and defeated two-term incumbent City Councilman Anthony Cobos, 57%–43%.[18][19] O'Rourke is one of the youngest representatives to have ever served on the City Council.[20] In 2007, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Trini Acevedo, 70%–30%.[21][22]

Ethics complaint[edit]

On September 5, 2006, the Land Grab Opponents of El Paso filed an ethics complaint with the City of El Paso, citing the business relationship between O'Rourke and the Paso del Norte Group, developers who had proposed a Downtown Revitalization Plan for El Paso. O'Rourke's own company, Stanton Street Technology Group, was providing Internet and Information Technology services to Paso del Norte. O'Rourke's father-in-law, William Sanders, was a leader in the Paso del Norte Group. The complaint said "O'Rourke is impermissibly entangled in the Paso del Norte Group's Downtown Revitalization Plan, through both family and business ties".[23] The complaint raised objections to two votes by O'Rourke, one to extend Paso del Norte's contract with the city in 2005 and another to accept the group's redevelopment proposal in March. It alleged that O'Rourke's participation in these votes "violated his fiduciary duty to the citizens of El Paso".[23] The city's Ethics Review Commission summarily dismissed this complaint on October 12, 2006.

The Land Grab Opponents filed a second complaint that suggested that the CFO of Sanders's company, The Verde Group, prepared O'Rourke's income tax return in 2006. This complaint was dismissed on October 18, 2006. An attorney for the Land Grab Opponents said the ethics complaints were filed to make O'Rourke recuse himself from debating and voting on the plan.[24] O'Rourke abstained from voting when the Council considered establishing a Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.[citation needed]

War on Drugs[edit]

In January 2009, O'Rourke sponsored a resolution calling for a "comprehensive examination" of the War on Drugs and "the repeal of ineffective marijuana laws".[25] The resolution, which was unanimously supported by his colleagues on the El Paso City Council, was vetoed by then-Mayor John Cook and spurred a larger national discussion on the topic.[25] He told reporters that the reason he decided to speak up about what he called the failed war on drugs was the thousands of people who have been killed in the drug war in the adjoining city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. "I hope it has all had its intended effect of starting the national discussion of the wisdom of the war on drugs […] and probably more importantly, helping to bring about a better solution than the status quo, which has led to the terror and tragedy in Juarez.[26]

U.S. House of Representatives (2012–present)[edit]

Elections[edit]

2012

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2012 § District 16

In 2012, O'Rourke filed for the Democratic primary against the eight-term Silvestre Reyes to represent Texas's 16th congressional district. The primary was seen as the real contest in this heavily Democratic, majority-Latino district.[14] O'Rourke took 50.5 percent of the vote, just a few hundred votes above the threshold required to avoid a runoff against Reyes.[27] He was contrasted with Reyes in his support for LGBT rights[28] and drug liberalization.[29] He defeated his Republican opponent, Barbara Carrasco, in the general election with 65 percent of the vote.

2014

O'Rourke won re-election in 2014 with 67% of the vote.

During the fall of 2014, O'Rourke donated at least $28,000 from his own campaign funds to fellow Democratic candidates for House seats.[30]

2016

In October 2015, O'Rourke announced his bid for a third term in 2016.[31] He won the Democratic primary and defeated his Green and Libertarian opponents in the general election.[32]

2018

On March 31, 2017, O'Rourke formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Party member Ted Cruz.[33] Thereafter, O'Rourke raised $2 million within the first three months, mostly from small donations (he had pledged not to accept PAC contributions for his campaign).[34]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

In 2013, O'Rourke attempted to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a 26-member group established in 1976 that includes as its goals “voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands." He was denied membership due to lacking Hispanic heritage.[37] His congressional predecessor, Silvestre Reyes, was a member and also appointed as a Chair for 2 years.

2018 Senate campaign[edit]

Main article: United States Senate election in Texas, 2018

When asked by The Texas Tribune if he might run for the Senate in 2018 against Cruz or in 2020 against Republican John Cornyn, O'Rourke first said that he is considering a Senate race.[38] He is likely to have the services of Christian Archer, a veteran political operative from San Antonio, who prior to 2013 was active in campaigns of former Mayor Julian Castro, later the secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas' 20th congressional district, twin brothers and popular San Antonio area Democratic politicians. Archer terms O'Rourke "Kennedy-esque ... He's got this aura around him. It's neat because he can talk about anything."[39]

On March 31, 2017, after crisscrossing the state to gauge interest, O'Rourke announced that he would be running in 2018 in an effort to unseat Cruz. He was the first Democratic candidate to enter the race.[40] He became the Democratic Party nominee, winning 61.8% of the primary vote. [41]

Political views[edit]

Drug policy[edit]

O’Rourke is a fierce opponent of the War on Drugs and has called for ending it.[42] As part of his opposition to the War on Drugs, O'Rourke favors the legalization of cannabis on grounds that the war against narcotics cannot be won.[25] In 2011 O’Rourke co-authored a book, Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico, which in part argues for an end to the prohibition on marijuana.[43] On January 5, 2018, O'Rourke posted a video on Facebook blasting Attorney General Jeff Sessions' rescinding of the Cole Memorandum on January 4.[44]

Abortion[edit]

O'Rourke has a lifetime score of 100% from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and a rating of 100% from NARAL Pro-Choice America. He voted against the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017, which made a permanent prohibition on the use of federal funds for abortions and made reforms to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prohibit qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions.[45]

LGBT rights[edit]

O'Rourke told the Dallas Voice that he called marriage equality a core civil rights issue during his House primary campaign. While on the El Paso City Council, O’Rourke led a successful fight to overturn the domestic partnership ban.[46] He was a co-sponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2013 (H.R. 3135).[47]

Immigration[edit]

O'Rourke favors comprehensive immigration reform.[48] O'Rourke opposed Trump's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which granted temporary stay to some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors.[49][50] O'Rourke said it is a "top priority" to protect these so-called DREAMers.[49] He has criticized President Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration, saying that Trump is "constantly stoking anxiety and fear about Mexicans, immigrants and the border with Mexico. Unfortunately this President takes another step into a dark world of fear, isolation and separation."[8][51] Ted Cruz asserted in 2018 that O'Rourke wanted "open borders and wants to take our guns."[52] PolitiFact found that Cruz's claims were "false"; noting that O'Rourke had "not called for opening the borders or for government agents to take guns from law-abiding residents."[52]

Health care[edit]

O'Rourke has expressed support for single-payer legislation to achieve universal health coverage.[53] He supports stabilization of the insurance markets to improve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He also supports the expansion of Medicaid[54][55] and is a co-sponsor of the Medicare-X Choice Act of 2017.[56]

Gun policy[edit]

On the evening of June 22, 2016, O'Rourke participated in the sit-in in the House of Representatives that attempted to force a vote on gun control legislation. When the Republicans ordered C-SPAN to turn off its normal coverage of the chamber, O'Rourke and Representative Scott Peters transmitted images by cell phone to social media for C-SPAN to broadcast.[57]

On March 7, 2018, O'Rourke told Alisyn Camerota of CNN that "We have a great tradition and culture of gun ownership and gun safety for hunting, for sport, for self-defense... I think that can allow Texas to take the lead on a really tough issue, which the country is waiting for leadership and action on."[58] He has called for a complete ban on assault rifles.[59]

2016 endorsements[edit]

In 2016, when Nancy Pelosi faced a leadership challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, O'Rourke backed Ryan.[60] O'Rourke said that he believed in term limits, and therefore that it was time for new leadership.[60]

In June 2016, O'Rourke endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. As a sitting member of Congress, O'Rourke was a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.[61]

Personal life[edit]

O'Rourke married Amy Hoover Sanders, the daughter of Louann and William Sanders of El Paso, on September 24, 2005 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The couple has three children.[11] Sanders is the director of education development for the La Fe Community Development Corporation and executive director of the La Fe Preparatory charter school.[62]

Publications[edit]

  • O'Rourke, Beto and Byrd, Susie (2011). Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the U.S. and Mexico, Cinco Puntos Press ISBN 1933693940

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Beto O'Rourke, Marijuana Legalization Supporter, Beats Rep. Silvestre Reyes (UPDATE)". Huffingtonpost.com. May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2013. 
  2. ^ Roberts, Chris. "District 16: Beto O'Rourke coasts into Congress". elpasotimes.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012. 
  3. ^ Draper, Robert (November 14, 2014). "Texas, 3 Ways". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  4. ^ Fernandez, Manny (February 17, 2016). "Pope's Presence Crosses Border Into U.S., Even if He Doesn't". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ Stanton, John (October 14, 2014). "Juarez's Biggest Booster Is An Irish-American Congressman". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved June 24, 2016. 
  7. ^ "`So he changed his name to Beto and hid it with a grin.' On the deeper purposes of the Cruz jingle. - First Reading". 
  8. ^ a b Bill Lambrecht, "From border to brink of Senate run," San Antonio Express-News, March 17, 2017, pp. 1, A9
  9. ^ "A Chat With Beto O'Rourke, the Ex-Punk Bassist Running for Ted Cruz's Senate Seat". Spin. October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  10. ^ "Does Beto O'Rourke Stand a Chance Against Ted Cruz?". www.texasmonthly.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018. 
  11. ^ a b "Beto O'Rourke (D)". projects.wsj.com. Retrieved January 3, 2013. 
  12. ^ "Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas)". Washington Post. December 21, 2012. 
  13. ^ "New Silvestre Reyes ad attacks Beto O'Rourke's character". The El Paso Times. Archived from the original on 2014-09-19. 
  14. ^ a b Fernandez, Manny. "Texas Incumbent Loses In Democratic Primary". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  15. ^ a b "Controlling Cyberspace: What's at stake with net neutrality". KFOX TV. Retrieved March 31, 2017. 
  16. ^ "Beto O'Rourke". Retrieved March 29, 2017. 
  17. ^ Lovegrove, Jamie (March 31, 2017). "Beto O'Rourke launches 2018 Senate campaign in underdog bid to unseat Ted Cruz". Dallas News. Retrieved March 31, 2017. 
  18. ^ "El Paso City Council District 8 Race – May 07, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 20, 2013. 
  19. ^ "2005 General Election". Elpasotexas.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2013. 
  20. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2010. 
  21. ^ "Our Campaigns – El Paso City Council District 8 Race – May 12, 2007". ourcampaigns.com. 
  22. ^ "Low turnout not as big a surprise as voting trends". El Paso Times.com. [permanent dead link]
  23. ^ a b "Land Grab Opponents complaint" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. 
  24. ^ "O'Rourke's in-law to invest in plan", El Paso Times
  25. ^ a b c Smith, Philipp S. (February 16, 2010). "The First City in America to Criminalize Marijuana Passes Resolution Criticizing Drug War". AlterNet. Retrieved November 11, 2017. 
  26. ^ Crowder, David (January 9, 2009). "O'Rourke in national headlights over 12 words in Drug War resolution". Newspaper Tree. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2017. 
  27. ^ "Beto O'Rourke defeats Silvestre Reyes in 2012 primary election for Congress". El Paso Times. [permanent dead link]
  28. ^ Taffet, David (January 4, 2013). "El Paso's Beto O'Rourke among strongest new LGBT allies in Congress". Dallas Voice. Retrieved June 24, 2016. 
  29. ^ Ortiz Uribe, Mónica (May 14, 2012). "West Texas Congressional Race Could Yield Surprises". Fronteras Desk. Retrieved June 24, 2016. 
  30. ^ Willis, Derek (November 2, 2014). "House Democrats Dig Deep for Cash, From Their Colleagues' Campaigns". New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  31. ^ "Congressman O'Rourke to seek re-election". El Paso Times. October 13, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2016. 
  32. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016. 
  33. ^ "Rep. Beto O'Rourke to launch Senate run against Ted Cruz Friday". The Texas Tribune. March 29, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017. 
  34. ^ "Democratic congressman raises $2M in bid against Sen. Ted Cruz". USA Today. July 13, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017. 
  35. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Retrieved 5 February 2018. 
  36. ^ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Retrieved 13 March 2018. 
  37. ^ Aguilar, Julián (2013-07-24). "El Paso Lawmaker Can't Join Hispanic Caucus; Some Seek Rule Change". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2018-03-21. 
  38. ^ Tribune, The Texas (November 4, 2016). "U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke looking at a U.S. Senate campaign". Retrieved March 29, 2017. 
  39. ^ Gilbert Garcia, "S.A. political operative likely to help O'Rourke's Senate bid", San Antonio Express-News, March 19, 2017, p. A2.
  40. ^ Smilowitz, Elliot (March 31, 2017). "Texas Dem enters race to challenge Cruz in 2018". TheHill. Retrieved March 31, 2017. 
  41. ^ "Texas Primary Election Results". Retrieved 7 March 2018. 
  42. ^ "Beto O'Rourke on Twitter". 
  43. ^ "Beto O'Rourke's El Paso roots may be key in his uphill battle against Ted Cruz". March 10, 2018. 
  44. ^ "Beto O'Rourke". www.facebook.com. 
  45. ^ O'Rourke, Rep Beto (January 26, 2017). "Why I voted no on H.R. 7". 
  46. ^ "El Paso's Beto O'Rourke among strongest new LGBT allies in Congress - Dallas Voice". January 4, 2013. 
  47. ^ Mark, Pocan, (January 22, 2014). "Cosponsors - H.R.3135 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2013". www.congress.gov. 
  48. ^ O'Keefe, Ed (2018-03-06). "Ted Cruz calls out challenger Beto O'Rourke in a sign of a tough fight to come in Texas". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  49. ^ a b "Protecting 'Dreamers' top priority, O'Rourke says at State of Congress luncheon". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  50. ^ "O'Rourke addresses needs, concerns related to DACA". El Paso Times. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  51. ^ O'Rourke, Rep Beto (2017-03-01). "Thoughts on the joint session of Congress". Rep. Beto O'Rourke. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  52. ^ a b "Ted Cruz: Beto O'Rourke wants open border and to take guns". @politifact. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  53. ^ "Where do Texas Democrats Stand on Single-Payer Health Care?". The Texas Observer. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  54. ^ gevans@news-journal.com, Glenn Evans. "In Longview stop, O'Rourke says he's confident gun measure will pass". 
  55. ^ "Healthcare - Beto for Senate". 
  56. ^ Brian, Higgins, (October 27, 2017). "H.R.4094 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Medicare-X Choice Act of 2017". www.congress.gov. 
  57. ^ "-SPAN Uses Social Media Feeds to Cover Protest". New York Times. Associated Press. June 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  58. ^ CNN, Veronica Stracqualursi,. "O'Rourke defends gun control stance in Texas Senate race". 
  59. ^ Tribune, The Texas (February 23, 2018). "We asked all 38 Texans in Congress about gun control after the Florida school shooting. Ten answered". 
  60. ^ a b Svitek, Patrick (2017-09-23). "O'Rourke praises Pelosi but doesn't want her help in Senate bid". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2018-03-16. 
  61. ^ Moore, Robert (June 10, 2016). "Rep. Beto O'Rourke endorses Hillary Clinton". El Paso Times. Retrieved June 23, 2016. 
  62. ^ "U.S. Rep. Robert "Beto" O'Rourke". Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2017. 

External links[edit]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Silvestre Reyes		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 16th congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Paul Sadler		 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Texas
(Class 1)
2018		 Most recent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Markwayne Mullin		 United States Representatives by seniority
285th		 Succeeded by
Scott Perry
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