'Beto' is Robert Francis O'Rourke, Sept 26, 1
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'Beto' is
Robert Francis O'Rourke,
Sept 26, 1972, El Paso,
Texas, U.S. < >
Robert Francis O'Rourke was born on September 26, 1972, at Hotel Dieu Hospital in El Paso, Texas, to Pat Francis O'Rourke and Melissa Martha O'Rourke (née Williams).[2][3][4][5] He is a 4th generation Irish American[6] ancestry.[7][8][9][10][11] In his infancy, his family gave him the nickname "Beto", a common Spanish nickname for first names ending in "-berto", initially to distinguish him from his namesake grandfather.[5][12]
His mother owned a furniture store, and is the stepdaughter of Fred Korth, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy.[13][14][15] His father, Pat O'Rourke, served in El Paso as County Commissioner and County Judge.[a][16] Pat O'Rourke was an associate of Texas Governor Mark White,[17] and served as the state chairman of Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns,[18] before switching parties in the early 1990s and running several unsuccessful bids for office as a Republican.[19]
Raised in the Kern Place neighborhood,[20] O'Rourke began his education at Escuela Montessori Del Valle preschool and continued to Rivera Elementary School and Mesita Elementary School.[20][21] As a teenager, he was a member of the computer hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow going under the handle "Psychedelic Warlord".[22] In 1988, after two years at El Paso High School, he enrolled in Woodberry Forest School, an all-male boarding school in Madison County, Virginia.[23] Between graduating from high school and starting college in 1991, he was a summer congressional intern in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Congressman Ron Coleman.[24] O'Rourke attended Columbia University where in his junior year he co-captained Columbia's heavyweight rowing crew.[25] He graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.[25][26][27] He is fluent in Spanish.[28]
On May 19, 1995, O'Rourke and his friends sneaked under the fence at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) physical plant, and were arrested by the UTEP police for burglary. He stayed in jail overnight and posted bail the following day. He was initially charged with burglary, but UTEP decided not to press charges and prosecutors dropped the charges against O'Rourke and his friends in February 1996.[29][30][31]
O'Rourke was arrested for driving while intoxicated after a car crash on September 27, 1998, at 3:00 a.m. on Interstate 10 in Anthony, Texas. The charges were dismissed in October 1999 after he completed a court-recommended DWI program.[27][30][31][32] In response to attacks from a political opponent in 2005, O'Rourke said, "I've been open about it since the very beginning. I have owned up to it and I have taken responsibility for it."[29] He apologized and said he was "grateful for the second chance".[33]
Music career
Main article: Foss (band)
For me, it was a great opportunity to see the country. You literally were playing for gas money, in a bar, in a club, or in somebody's basement, and that would take you to the next town and the next show.
O'Rourke on his experience in the band Foss[34]
After being introduced to Bad Brains as a teen,[35] O'Rourke became a fan of punk music. O'Rourke, along with two friends from El Paso, Mike Stevens and Arlo Klahr, learned to play musical instruments, with O'Rourke taking up the bass.[36] In 1991, while at Columbia University, the trio recruited drummer Cedric Bixler-Zavala (eventual vocalist for At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta), and together they formed the band Foss.[37][38]
Bixler-Zavala recalled O'Rourke and Klahr introducing him to a zine called Book Your Own Fucking Life, a primer on how to schedule your own gigs without an agent.[39] During the summer, they toured the United States and Canada,[36] garnering the support of Feist.[39] The group released a self-titled demo and a 7" record, "The El Paso Pussycats", on Western Breed Records in 1993.[37][39]
O'Rourke also played drums in the band Swedes, who released an album called Summer in 1995.[40] Bandmates included Jake Barowsky, Arlo Klahr, Julie Napolin, and Mike Stevens.[41]
Business career
After graduation, O'Rourke worked as a live-in caretaker and art mover before working for an Internet service provider.[36][42] During this time, he questioned what he wanted to do with his career.[36] He later took a position at H. W. Wilson Company as a proofreader, and wrote short stories and songs in his free time.[25][36]
O'Rourke returned to El Paso in 1998.[43] O'Rourke wanted to address "brain-drain", or the exodus of youth caused by lack of opportunity.[36] The following year, he co-founded Stanton Street Technology Group, an Internet services and software company.[42][44] As of March 2017, his wife Amy operates the business.[45] For a few years, the company also published an online (and briefly print) newspaper, also called Stanton Street, that O'Rourke modeled on alternative periodicals like The Village Voice and New York Press.[36]
O'Rourke was involved with El Paso civic organizations and nonprofit groups, such as the Rotary Club, United Way, and Center Against Sexual and Family Violence. He was a member of the boards of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at UTEP.[46]
Political career
El Paso City Council
During his childhood, he accompanied his father Pat at campaign stops and other political events. While Pat was charismatic and outgoing, his son was more reserved. Pat would nudge Beto, suggesting he "go say hello to this person or that person...I really hated it...it was the kind of stuff you don't want to do when you are 10 years old, unless you were really into that. And I wasn't. I was an awkward and shy kid, so it was the last thing I wanted to do, but now I can look back and bless my experience in it."[47]
As an adult, he has volunteered for the campaigns of several politicians, including José Rodríguez for his 2002 reelection as El Paso County Attorney and Eliot Shapleigh his 2002 and 2006 reelections as Texas State Senator.[citation needed] O'Rourke was inspired by the successful 2001 mayoral run of Ray Caballero, whose platform promoted the idea that El Paso was great.[36] When Caballero failed to get re-elected, O'Rourke (along with Susie Byrd, attorney Steve Ortega, and former Caballero staffer Veronica Escobar) considered running for office.
His group[clarification needed] started to discuss grassroots strategies to improve urban planning, create a more diversified economy, and end corruption.[36] O'Rourke initially considered running for county judge, but his friends persuaded him to run for city council instead.[36] In mid-2005, O'Rourke ran for the El Paso City Council on a platform of downtown development and border reform.[48]
O'Rourke, Byrd, and Ortega all won their campaigns. They came to be referred to as "The Progressives."[36] O'Rourke defeated two-term incumbent City Councilman Anthony Cobos 57 percent to 43 percent.[49][50] O'Rourke is one of the youngest representatives ever to have served on the City Council.[51] In 2007, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Trini Acevedo 70 percent to 30 percent.[52][53]
During his first term, he supported a plan to convert a depressed area of El Paso into a business district, including an arena, major retailers, and an arts walk. The initiative faced opposition from small businesses and Chicano activists who did not want the historic El Segundo Barrio neighborhood to be gentrified. O'Rourke responded with an on-foot campaign to residents of the neighborhood and was met with a mix of support and cynicism.[36] An El Paso activist initiated a recall campaign against O'Rourke, and downtown property owners filed two ethics complaints against him for conflict of interest. Ultimately, the redevelopment plans were only partially realized.[36]
In January 2009, O'Rourke sponsored a resolution calling for "comprehensive examination" of the War on Drugs and "the repeal of ineffective marijuana laws". The resolution, unanimously supported by his colleagues on the El Paso City Council, was vetoed by Mayor John Cook.[54][55] He told reporters the reason he spoke up about the War on Drugs was the thousands of people who have been killed in the nearby city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.[56][57] He said, "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."[58]
U.S. House of Representatives
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 the Democratic, Latino-majority district.[28] Byrd ran O'Rourke's field operation and Escobar was head of communication.[36] O'Rourke won 50.5 percent of the vote, just a few hundred votes above the threshold required to avoid a runoff against Reyes.[59] He was contrasted with Reyes in his support for LGBT rights and drug liberalization.[60][61] His campaign was largely on foot, and he reportedly knocked on 16,000 doors.[36] He defeated his Republican opponent, Barbara Carrasco, in the general election with 65 percent of the vote.[62] Upon O'Rourke's election, the district was no longer represented in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a 26-member group established in 1976, because he lacks Hispanic heritage.[63] As the district was 80 percent Hispanic with 77.6 percent Hispanic voting-age, some officials, including David Austin, the El Paso-based border representative for the U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition, argued that he should be permitted to join. For his part, O'Rourke said he respected the caucus's bylaws.[63]
As a Congressman, he held at least one town hall meeting every month.[36] In March 2013, O'Rourke and Republican Steve Pearce of New Mexico introduced the Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act, legislation proposed to establish an ombudsman within the Department of Homeland Security that would investigate allegations of violence and civil-rights violations by CBP, create a commission that would overview the agency's policies and provide insight on how to spend its $18 billion annual budget, increase the training required for officers and agents, and establish protocols under which CBP would be required to report deaths at the border or agents' use of force.[64] He co-sponsored the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, which was enacted in 2014. Notably, Section 506 allowed the US Customs and Border Protection to enter into public-private partnerships with local entities to help fund overtime pay to customs officers at ports of entry, which helped fund the personnel to lower wait times at the border. El Paso was one of five cities chosen to participate in the program.[65]
2014
During his bid for re-election in the fall of 2014, O'Rourke donated at least $28,000 from his own campaign funds to fellow Democratic candidates for House seats.[66] O'Rourke was re-elected in 2014 with 67 percent of the vote.
In November 2014, O'Rourke opposed Obama's deferred action policy that used an executive action to bypass Congress in order to spare approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, saying "the motive is noble, but the means are really hard to stomach."[67]
O'Rourke was one of six members of Congress who took a six-day trip to Israel that included meetings with Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators, political leaders and residents.[68] O'Rourke's previous decisions to vote against U.S. funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and not attend Israel's prime minister's address to Congress had been controversial; the bill was easily passed in the House, with a 395-8 vote.[68] While saying he was not against funding the project, he was reluctant to support sending $225 million to Israel without any debate or discussion, and said that the US's policy of "unequivocal support at times has been damaging to Israel."[68] He returned from the trip hopeful.[68]
2016
In June 2016,[69] O'Rourke endorsed Hillary Clinton for President, being one of the last Democratic congressmen to support her during the primary.[70] As a sitting member of Congress, O'Rourke was a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.[69] In October 2015, O'Rourke announced his bid for a third term in 2016.[71] He won the Democratic primary and defeated his Green and Libertarian opponents in the general election.[72] When Nancy Pelosi faced a leadership challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, O'Rourke backed Ryan.[73] O'Rourke said that he believed in term limits, and therefore that it was time for new leadership.[73] He had given himself a term limit in the House, and promised not to serve any more than 12 years in the Senate if elected.[70]
In 2017, the congressman, along with Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Eric Swalwell of California, sponsored the American Families United Act, which promoted the idea that US citizens have the right to sponsor their spouses for legal immigration.[74]
O'Rourke gave up his congressional seat to run for Senate in 2018. Former El Paso County judge Veronica Escobar, also a Democrat, was elected to succeed him.
Committee assignments
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Caucus memberships
New Democrat Coalition[75]
Congressional Arts Caucus[76]
2018 Senate campaign
Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in Texas
Beto O'Rourke during a rally in Austin, Texas, November 2018
As O'Rourke was considering entering the 2018 Texas Senate race, political experts considered him a "longshot" candidate.[77] Ben Terris of The Washington Post said he was suffering from a "bug" causing "mass delusions that the old rules of politics no longer apply." He asked, "Can a Democrat really win in this deeply red state—against Cruz, who will be running one of the best-financed campaigns in the country? And can he do so on a positive message about Mexicans in an era when calling them rapists helped make a man president?"[48]
No Democrat has been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.[36] On March 31, 2017, O'Rourke formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Ted Cruz.[78] In March 2018, O'Rourke became the Democratic Party nominee, winning 61.8 percent of the primary vote.[79] O'Rourke campaigned in all of Texas's 254 counties, sometimes drawing large crowds and sometimes speaking to as few as 15 or 20 people.[citation needed] He said he planned to run a positive campaign, not focused on Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.[80]
O'Rourke ran his campaign without professional pollsters or consultants, and relied on volunteers with no experience running a political campaign.[80] His campaign employed the use of mass text messages.[81] According to the 2018 third-quarter report from the FEC, his campaign spent US$7.3 million on digital advertising alone (in contrast with Cruz's $251,000).[82] His first ad was filmed on an iPhone.[82][83]
He posted to social media daily, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and livestreamed his activities traveling the state, such as skateboarding in a Whataburger parking lot, washing clothes at a laundromat, and "blockwalking" in his constituents' neighborhoods.[84] He encouraged supporters to post selfies they had taken with him to social media.[84] Some of his videos went viral, including his position on NFL players "taking a knee" and police brutality against unarmed black men.[85][86] Supporters said O'Rourke's "promise of compassion", more than any specific policy position, drew their support.[87]
Funding
O'Rourke pledged not to accept PAC contributions for his Senate campaign. He raised $2 million within the first three months, mostly from small donations.[88][89] During the campaign, PolitiFact rated his claim of not taking PAC money as "true".[90] He received his first major organizational endorsement from End Citizens United in June 2017,[91] which found that he had raised triple the funds of Cruz without accepting corporate special interest money.[92] In the most recently reported quarter, he raised $10.4 million to Cruz's $4.6 million, with each candidate having raised $23 million by September 1.[87] O'Rourke raised more than $38 million in the third quarter, three times Cruz's totals for the same period.[93] It is the most raised in a U.S. Senate race in history.[93] According to his campaign, the donations came from 802,836 individual contributions, mostly from Texas.[93] When asked if he would share the funds with Democrats in other races, he declined, saying that he wanted to honor "the commitment that those who've contributed to this campaign have made to me."[94]
Debates
The first of three scheduled debates between O'Rourke and Ted Cruz took place on September 21, 2018. The candidates disagreed on gun rights, immigration, marijuana, the "take a knee" controversy, and the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. During the debate, O'Rourke was asked about attempting to leave the scene of a drunk driving accident in 1998. He denied it. PolitiFact rated his denial "mostly false",[95] and The Washington Post rated it "Four Pinocchios."[96]
At the end, the moderator asked the candidates to "say something nice about each other". O'Rourke praised Cruz's parenting. Cruz compared O'Rourke to Bernie Sanders, saying he "admired [his] willingness to stand up for socialist beliefs and high taxes." O'Rourke replied, "True to form."[97][98] Analysts described Cruz as more experienced and aggressive, but said O'Rourke won over the crowd.[99][100]
Cruz declined to participate in the third, town hall-style debate for CNN held on October 18, 2018. O'Rourke agreed to attend the town hall meeting alone.[101] During the meeting, O'Rourke said he did not see himself running for President because of having young children. He said he regretted calling Ted Cruz "Lyin' Ted", a nickname given by Donald Trump. He confirmed that he would vote to impeach and indict Trump. He defended his Spanish nickname against accusations of cultural appropriation.[102][103]
Endorsements
O'Rourke campaign logo
On October 19, the Houston Chronicle announced its endorsement of O'Rourke, saying the "congressman's command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans make him one of the most impressive candidates this editorial board has encountered in many years. Despite the long odds he faces...a 'Beto' victory would be good for Texas, not only because of his skills, both personal and political, but also because of the manifest inadequacies of the man he would replace."[104] The Chronicle expressed criticism of Ted Cruz, who they endorsed when he ran for the Senate six years before, saying he has shown "little interest in addressing the needs of his fellow Texans during his six years in office."[104] On October 25, Dallas Morning News endorsed O'Rourke after commenting on the divisive climate in politics, saying, "O'Rourke is the stronger candidate. In conducting his campaign, he has displayed a demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness that will allow him to open the door to working with those who hold political views different from his."[105] On October 26, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which serves the notably conservative Fort Worth and Tarrant County, endorsed O'Rourke, saying, "Only O'Rourke seems interested in making deals or finding middle ground. That is why the El Paso Democrat would make the best senator for Tarrant County's future, and the future of Texas."[106]
Singer and activist Willie Nelson announced his support for O'Rourke and held a rally for him on September 29 in Austin, Texas. In a statement, Nelson said, "My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto and we share his concern for the direction things are headed. Beto embodies what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”[107] At the end of the rally, Nelson debuted his new election-inspired song "Vote 'Em Out".[108] A few hours before the polls closed, Beyonce posted a picture of herself on social media wearing a "Beto for Senate" baseball cap with the caption, "I'm feeling grateful for everyone before me who fought so hard to give us all the right to have a voice."[109] Other celebrity endorsements included Khalid, Aaron Jones, Eva Longoria, LeBron James, Jim Carrey, Travis Scott, Ellen DeGeneres, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Kelly Rowland.[110]
Polls and news coverage
A September 18, 2018, a Quinnipiac poll based on phone interviews put Cruz 9 points ahead of O'Rourke among likely voters, but a September 19 Ipsos online poll done in conjunction with Reuters and the University of Virginia showed O'Rourke leading Cruz by 2 points. The Ipsos poll also questioned respondents about their major concerns; Republicans reported immigration as their major concern while Democrats reported healthcare. Questioned regarding their likelihood of voting in the midterm elections, more Democrats than Republicans reported the likelihood that they would turn out. Ipsos Vice President Chris Jackson said that this was interesting (since Republicans usually have the momentum advantage in Texas), and that "it demonstrates how Democrats are mobilized. This election is going to be really competitive and its going to be very hard fought."[111] Going into the third debate on October 18, 2018, a CNN poll, conducted by SSRS, showed Cruz leading the campaign 52 percent to 45 percent among likely voters.[102]
The media made comparisons between O'Rourke's Senate campaign and Obama's 2008 campaign for President, drawing parallels between their charismatic speaking styles, optimistic tones, and the nationwide attention their campaigns generated.[112][113][114] Peter Hamby of Vanity Fair said that the energy of O'Rourke's rallies felt a lot like those of Obama in 2007.[114]
Results
On November 6, 2018, Ted Cruz defeated O'Rourke.[115][116][117] Cruz won 51 percent of the vote, compared to 48 percent for O'Rourke.[118] Despite his loss, O'Rourke took credit for the election of several down-ticket candidates of the Democratic Party, which some called the "Beto Effect".[119] For example, Republicans lost the Texas Third Court of Appeals and Fifth Court of Appeals.[120]
Of 150 state House seats, 12 formerly Republican seats were taken by Democrats, as well as two of the state's 31 state Senate seats.[121] O'Rourke received over 4 million votes, compared to Hillary Clinton, who received only 3.9 million votes in the 2016 presidential election in Texas, and David Alameel, the Democratic nominee in the 2014 Texas Senate race, who received only 1.6 million votes.[121]
2020 presidential election
O'Rourke campaign logo
Main article: Beto O'Rourke 2020 presidential campaign
In late 2018, speculation began that O'Rourke might run in the United States presidential election in 2020.[122] Prior to the midterm elections, The New Republic said O'Rourke's Senate campaign was the beginning of a bid for the presidency, despite calling it "journalistic hedging," or a justification for the media extensively covering a candidate who was expected to lose his race.[113][123]
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said he has "name recognition, a widely successful fundraising operation, a young fresh face with a sprinkling of woke, a cool persona, a new perspective, he speaks Spanish and would be an exciting and upbeat candidate."[124] The possibility of an O'Rourke candidacy made some donors hesitate to commit to a candidate.[125] On March 13, El Paso TV station KTSM-TV reported that O'Rourke had decided to run for the 2020 presidency.[126]
On March 14, O'Rourke confirmed speculation by announcing on Twitter that he was entering the presidential race. [127]
Political views
Political analysts classify O'Rourke as a progressive, liberal, or centrist.[128][129][130] During his time in Congress, O'Rourke was a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a pro-business member organization.[131][132][75] National Journal gave O'Rourke a composite ideology of 85 percent liberal and 15 percent conservative in 2013.[133] Describing himself, O'Rourke has said that he does not know where he falls on the political spectrum. He has sponsored bipartisan bills as well as broken with his party on issues like trade.[134]
GovTrack placed O'Rourke near the ideological center of the Democratic Party; the American Civil Liberties Union gave him an 88 percent rating, while the United States Chamber of Commerce, a more conservative group, gave him a 47 percent rating.[135] According to FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional voting records, O'Rourke voted in line with Donald Trump 30.1 percent of the time during the 115th Congress.[136]
Bipartisanship
Allegheny College bestowed the 2018 Prize for Civility in Public Life to O'Rourke together with Will Hurd, a Texas Republican. In March 2017, facing snowstorm induced flight cancellations O'Rourke and Hurd, both stuck in San Antonio, needed to get back to Washington for a House vote. They rented a car and embarked on a 1,600 mi (2,600 km) drive that they captured on Facebook Live.[137][138][139] O'Rourke and Hurd have worked collaboratively on legislation since the road trip.[140]
Business
O'Rourke supports stronger antitrust laws to break up monopolies which he believes "stifle competition and innovation." He promotes industry and business regulations meant to promote competition, help the economy to grow, and protect consumers. He believes, "We must connect those out of work with the high value jobs being created right here in Texas by investing in the training, certification and apprenticeship programs that make it possible."[141] He has received high scores from labor unions with lifetime and yearly position scores of 90–100 percent from the AFL-CIO and a 95 percent lifetime score from AFSCME.[142]
Crime
In an essay he wrote for Houston Chronicle he repeated a common refrain of his campaign,[143] that "Harris County Jail is the largest provider of mental health services in our state," and quoted the statistic that "the jail has more people receiving psychiatric treatment every day than the nine state mental hospitals in Texas combined."[144] He proposed that politicians work to eliminate private, for-profit prisons, end the "war on drugs," stop using mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent drug offenses, end cash bail that disproportionately affects those unable to pay bail with longer jail sentences,[145] and provide reentry programs to reduce recidivism for non-violent criminals.[144]
Drugs
O'Rourke favors the legalization of cannabis.[146] 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.[147][148] He has called for the arrest records of individuals sentenced for possession of small amounts of cannabis to be expunged.[145] During the 2018 Senate campaign, O'Rourke's opponent, Ted Cruz, claimed that O'Rourke sought to legalize heroin; in 2009 when O’Rourke was an El Paso city council member he called for "honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition on narcotics".[145]
Education
O'Rourke is in favor of increasing federal aid to public schools in low-income communities. He believes that teachers and local education officials should have more autonomy in setting classroom standards with a reduction of emphasis on "arbitrary, high-stakes tests".[141]
Environment
Before he was elected to city council, he joined neighborhood and community efforts to stop the re-permitting of the local ASARCO copper smelter, and once he was on the city council, he made several efforts to ensure that the copper smelter did not re-open.[149][150]
O'Rourke supports efforts to combat global warming. He has advocated putting a price on carbon emissions and wants to substantially increase the use of renewable energy. He has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration's elimination of greenhouse gas regulations and the shrinking of the budget for environmental projects.[151]
O'Rourke has introduced legislation to establish a national monument at Castner Range, near El Paso, and successfully included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to protect the area, which includes a historic military training facility.[151]
O'Rourke's holds a lifetime voting record of 95 percent and a 2017 score of 100 percent with the League of Conservation Voters' national environmental ranking.[152]
Foreign policy
Beto O'Rourke at the Inter-American Dialogue conference in 2016
O'Rourke denounced the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem as "provocative." He supports a two-state solution and believes that the U.S. could best support a peaceful settlement by urging Israel to discontinue settlements in the West Bank and assist the Palestinian Authority to negotiate in good faith and recognize Israel's right to exist.[153]
In July 2018, O'Rourke said that Trump's performance while attending the 2018 Russia–United States summit in Helsinki warranted impeachment.[154] Addressing the Trump–Putin joint press conference of July 16, he said standing "on stage in another country with the leader of another country who wants to and has sought to undermine this country, and to side with him over the United States—if I were asked to vote on this I would vote to impeach the president."[155]
In an interview with ABC, O'Rourke suggested that the United States address the migrant caravan by investing in stability in countries where the migrants originate, countries in the Northern Triangle of Central America.[156]
Immigration
O'Rourke favors comprehensive immigration reform.[157][158] As early as 2012, he asserted that his experience living on the border gave him "a strong understanding of immigration's impact on our community," calling El Paso "an Ellis Island to Latin America for more than 150 years," and spoke against 'militarizing' the border.[159] 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.[160][161] O'Rourke said it is a "top priority" to protect DREAMers.[160] In October 2016, he gave a TEDx talk, titled The Border Makes America Great, about his views on immigration.[162]
He has criticized President Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration, saying: "[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."[17][163] In June 2018, O'Rourke led protests in Tornillo, Texas, to protest the Trump administration family separation policy which involved the separation of children of immigrant families. The city is located just miles from the Rio Grande, the river that creates the border of the United States and Mexico in the state of Texas.[164] The Trump administration had created a "tent-city" in Tornillo, where separated children were being held without their parents. O'Rourke called this practice "Un-American" and the responsibility of all Americans.[165][166]
Ted Cruz asserted in 2018 that O'Rourke wanted "open borders and wants to take our guns."[167] 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."[167]
Guns
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.[168]
He supports universal background checks for gun purchases.[169] On March 7, 2018, O'Rourke told Alisyn Camerota of CNN: "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."[170] He has called for a complete ban on assault rifles.[171]
Social issues
O'Rourke voted against the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion[172] and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017,[173] which would have permanently banned the use of federal funds for abortions and reformed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prohibit qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions.[better source needed]
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.[174] He was a co-sponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2013 (H.R. 3135).[175]
On healthcare, O'Rourke supports single-payer legislation and universal health coverage, but disagreed with House and Senate proposals.[176] The House bill, John Conyers' Medicare For All bill (HR 676), would require that providers be public institutions or nonprofits, but O'Rourke wants to include all providers as Medicare does.[177][178] The Senate bill, supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, would have no copays, and no premiums for low-income families, but O'Rourke wants everyone to pay in to some extent. He supports stabilization of the insurance markets to improve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He also supports the expansion of Medicaid and is a co-sponsor of the Medicare-X Choice Act of 2017.[179][180][181]
O'Rourke has spoken out against racial inequality. He supports the football players who have taken part in the "Take a knee" protests. Speaking in a video that went viral, O'Rourke said he believes there is "nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere or any place."[182] He has also lamented the fact that despite being arrested twice in his youth, he was able to take advantage of a second chance, chances that are often "denied to too many of our fellow Texans, particularly those who don't look like me or have access to the same opportunities that I did."[144] In September 2018, Cruz posted to Twitter a video of O'Rourke in a Dallas church, largely attended by African-Americans, speaking out against the killing of Bothem Shem Jean, an unarmed black man in his own home, by an off-duty police officer.[86] In the video, the crowd gave the speech a standing ovation, and the video served to bolster O'Rourke's standing nationally, going viral and receiving wide praise.[183]
Veterans
O'Rourke has held monthly veterans town hall meetings since he was elected in 2013.[184] After hearing about long wait times, especially regarding mental health, he carried out his own local survey of veterans, which showed wait times far exceeding what the VA was reporting. To try to better meet veteran's needs, O'Rourke and others worked to establish a new program at the El Paso VA designed to care for military related health issues within the hospital while using community clinics or medical facilities in the area for more standard medical needs.[185]
O'Rourke co-sponsored the bipartisan bill H.R. 1604, the Veterans' Mental Health Care Access Act, with Republican Congressmen Tom MacArthur, which expanded options for veterans seeking mental health care to non-VA facilities.[186][187] O'Rourke serves on both the House Veterans' Affairs Committee,[188] and the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees military installations such as Fort Bliss, headquartered in El Paso.[189]
In September 2016, three bills that were attached as amendments to H.R. 5620 (or the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016) were approved unanimously with bipartisan support in the House. The first, the Vet Connect Act of 2016 (H.R. 5162), would allow a veteran's entire medical record to be shared with a community provider, without explicit written consent, with a pilot of the program then being tried in El Paso. The Ask Veterans Act (H.R. 1319) would have a non-government contractor conduct an annual survey on behalf of the secretary of Veterans Affairs in order to determine veterans' experiences with hospital care and medical services at VA facilities, the results of which would be publicly accessible. O'Rourke developed this idea from feedback from veterans at town hall meetings. The Get Vets a Doc Now Act (H.R. 5501) would allow the VA to provide conditional job offers to resident doctors two years before the completion of their programs, in an effort to recruit doctors to fill the shortage of 43,000 clinicians.[190]
Climate Change
O'Rourke has stated: "I believe that in tackling climate change and the greatest environmental threat we have ever faced, we need to take unprecedented action in building a foundation for a clean energy economy. Harmful emissions that contribute to climate change also pollute our air and water. Climate change threatens our food supply, our security and the complex ecosystem that sustains humanity. I will work with other members of the House of Representatives, the Senate and our President in helping our country put together a plan that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the point where they match levels that can be absorbed by Earth's ecosystems. Educating our fellow Americans about this threat to our quality of life is important to our success, and I will do all I can to make this issue a top priority in Congress."[191]
Personal life
O'Rourke married Amy Hoover Sanders, the daughter of Louann and Bill Sanders, at her parents' ranch in Lamy, New Mexico, on September 24, 2005.[26] Bill Sanders is a real estate developer.[192] Louann Sanders is the director of education development for La Fe Community Development Corporation, and executive director of La Fe Preparatory charter school.[193] The couple and their three children live in El Paso's Sunset Heights area in a Henry Trost-designed mission-style house where General Hugh Scott and Pancho Villa reportedly met in 1915.[36][18][194]
On July 3, 2001, O'Rourke's father died while riding his bicycle along the shoulder of Pete Domenici Highway just across the New Mexico state line when he was struck from behind by a vehicle; he was pronounced dead at the scene. O'Rourke delivered the eulogy during the funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[195][196][17]
Works
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
Robert Francis O'Rourke,
Sept 26, 1972, El Paso,
Texas, U.S. < >
Robert Francis O'Rourke was born on September 26, 1972, at Hotel Dieu Hospital in El Paso, Texas, to Pat Francis O'Rourke and Melissa Martha O'Rourke (née Williams).[2][3][4][5] He is a 4th generation Irish American[6] ancestry.[7][8][9][10][11] In his infancy, his family gave him the nickname "Beto", a common Spanish nickname for first names ending in "-berto", initially to distinguish him from his namesake grandfather.[5][12]
His mother owned a furniture store, and is the stepdaughter of Fred Korth, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy.[13][14][15] His father, Pat O'Rourke, served in El Paso as County Commissioner and County Judge.[a][16] Pat O'Rourke was an associate of Texas Governor Mark White,[17] and served as the state chairman of Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns,[18] before switching parties in the early 1990s and running several unsuccessful bids for office as a Republican.[19]
Raised in the Kern Place neighborhood,[20] O'Rourke began his education at Escuela Montessori Del Valle preschool and continued to Rivera Elementary School and Mesita Elementary School.[20][21] As a teenager, he was a member of the computer hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow going under the handle "Psychedelic Warlord".[22] In 1988, after two years at El Paso High School, he enrolled in Woodberry Forest School, an all-male boarding school in Madison County, Virginia.[23] Between graduating from high school and starting college in 1991, he was a summer congressional intern in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Congressman Ron Coleman.[24] O'Rourke attended Columbia University where in his junior year he co-captained Columbia's heavyweight rowing crew.[25] He graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.[25][26][27] He is fluent in Spanish.[28]
On May 19, 1995, O'Rourke and his friends sneaked under the fence at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) physical plant, and were arrested by the UTEP police for burglary. He stayed in jail overnight and posted bail the following day. He was initially charged with burglary, but UTEP decided not to press charges and prosecutors dropped the charges against O'Rourke and his friends in February 1996.[29][30][31]
O'Rourke was arrested for driving while intoxicated after a car crash on September 27, 1998, at 3:00 a.m. on Interstate 10 in Anthony, Texas. The charges were dismissed in October 1999 after he completed a court-recommended DWI program.[27][30][31][32] In response to attacks from a political opponent in 2005, O'Rourke said, "I've been open about it since the very beginning. I have owned up to it and I have taken responsibility for it."[29] He apologized and said he was "grateful for the second chance".[33]
Music career
Main article: Foss (band)
For me, it was a great opportunity to see the country. You literally were playing for gas money, in a bar, in a club, or in somebody's basement, and that would take you to the next town and the next show.
O'Rourke on his experience in the band Foss[34]
After being introduced to Bad Brains as a teen,[35] O'Rourke became a fan of punk music. O'Rourke, along with two friends from El Paso, Mike Stevens and Arlo Klahr, learned to play musical instruments, with O'Rourke taking up the bass.[36] In 1991, while at Columbia University, the trio recruited drummer Cedric Bixler-Zavala (eventual vocalist for At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta), and together they formed the band Foss.[37][38]
Bixler-Zavala recalled O'Rourke and Klahr introducing him to a zine called Book Your Own Fucking Life, a primer on how to schedule your own gigs without an agent.[39] During the summer, they toured the United States and Canada,[36] garnering the support of Feist.[39] The group released a self-titled demo and a 7" record, "The El Paso Pussycats", on Western Breed Records in 1993.[37][39]
O'Rourke also played drums in the band Swedes, who released an album called Summer in 1995.[40] Bandmates included Jake Barowsky, Arlo Klahr, Julie Napolin, and Mike Stevens.[41]
Business career
After graduation, O'Rourke worked as a live-in caretaker and art mover before working for an Internet service provider.[36][42] During this time, he questioned what he wanted to do with his career.[36] He later took a position at H. W. Wilson Company as a proofreader, and wrote short stories and songs in his free time.[25][36]
O'Rourke returned to El Paso in 1998.[43] O'Rourke wanted to address "brain-drain", or the exodus of youth caused by lack of opportunity.[36] The following year, he co-founded Stanton Street Technology Group, an Internet services and software company.[42][44] As of March 2017, his wife Amy operates the business.[45] For a few years, the company also published an online (and briefly print) newspaper, also called Stanton Street, that O'Rourke modeled on alternative periodicals like The Village Voice and New York Press.[36]
O'Rourke was involved with El Paso civic organizations and nonprofit groups, such as the Rotary Club, United Way, and Center Against Sexual and Family Violence. He was a member of the boards of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at UTEP.[46]
Political career
El Paso City Council
During his childhood, he accompanied his father Pat at campaign stops and other political events. While Pat was charismatic and outgoing, his son was more reserved. Pat would nudge Beto, suggesting he "go say hello to this person or that person...I really hated it...it was the kind of stuff you don't want to do when you are 10 years old, unless you were really into that. And I wasn't. I was an awkward and shy kid, so it was the last thing I wanted to do, but now I can look back and bless my experience in it."[47]
As an adult, he has volunteered for the campaigns of several politicians, including José Rodríguez for his 2002 reelection as El Paso County Attorney and Eliot Shapleigh his 2002 and 2006 reelections as Texas State Senator.[citation needed] O'Rourke was inspired by the successful 2001 mayoral run of Ray Caballero, whose platform promoted the idea that El Paso was great.[36] When Caballero failed to get re-elected, O'Rourke (along with Susie Byrd, attorney Steve Ortega, and former Caballero staffer Veronica Escobar) considered running for office.
His group[clarification needed] started to discuss grassroots strategies to improve urban planning, create a more diversified economy, and end corruption.[36] O'Rourke initially considered running for county judge, but his friends persuaded him to run for city council instead.[36] In mid-2005, O'Rourke ran for the El Paso City Council on a platform of downtown development and border reform.[48]
O'Rourke, Byrd, and Ortega all won their campaigns. They came to be referred to as "The Progressives."[36] O'Rourke defeated two-term incumbent City Councilman Anthony Cobos 57 percent to 43 percent.[49][50] O'Rourke is one of the youngest representatives ever to have served on the City Council.[51] In 2007, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Trini Acevedo 70 percent to 30 percent.[52][53]
During his first term, he supported a plan to convert a depressed area of El Paso into a business district, including an arena, major retailers, and an arts walk. The initiative faced opposition from small businesses and Chicano activists who did not want the historic El Segundo Barrio neighborhood to be gentrified. O'Rourke responded with an on-foot campaign to residents of the neighborhood and was met with a mix of support and cynicism.[36] An El Paso activist initiated a recall campaign against O'Rourke, and downtown property owners filed two ethics complaints against him for conflict of interest. Ultimately, the redevelopment plans were only partially realized.[36]
In January 2009, O'Rourke sponsored a resolution calling for "comprehensive examination" of the War on Drugs and "the repeal of ineffective marijuana laws". The resolution, unanimously supported by his colleagues on the El Paso City Council, was vetoed by Mayor John Cook.[54][55] He told reporters the reason he spoke up about the War on Drugs was the thousands of people who have been killed in the nearby city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.[56][57] He said, "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."[58]
U.S. House of Representatives
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 the Democratic, Latino-majority district.[28] Byrd ran O'Rourke's field operation and Escobar was head of communication.[36] O'Rourke won 50.5 percent of the vote, just a few hundred votes above the threshold required to avoid a runoff against Reyes.[59] He was contrasted with Reyes in his support for LGBT rights and drug liberalization.[60][61] His campaign was largely on foot, and he reportedly knocked on 16,000 doors.[36] He defeated his Republican opponent, Barbara Carrasco, in the general election with 65 percent of the vote.[62] Upon O'Rourke's election, the district was no longer represented in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a 26-member group established in 1976, because he lacks Hispanic heritage.[63] As the district was 80 percent Hispanic with 77.6 percent Hispanic voting-age, some officials, including David Austin, the El Paso-based border representative for the U.S./Mexico Border Counties Coalition, argued that he should be permitted to join. For his part, O'Rourke said he respected the caucus's bylaws.[63]
As a Congressman, he held at least one town hall meeting every month.[36] In March 2013, O'Rourke and Republican Steve Pearce of New Mexico introduced the Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act, legislation proposed to establish an ombudsman within the Department of Homeland Security that would investigate allegations of violence and civil-rights violations by CBP, create a commission that would overview the agency's policies and provide insight on how to spend its $18 billion annual budget, increase the training required for officers and agents, and establish protocols under which CBP would be required to report deaths at the border or agents' use of force.[64] He co-sponsored the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, which was enacted in 2014. Notably, Section 506 allowed the US Customs and Border Protection to enter into public-private partnerships with local entities to help fund overtime pay to customs officers at ports of entry, which helped fund the personnel to lower wait times at the border. El Paso was one of five cities chosen to participate in the program.[65]
2014
During his bid for re-election in the fall of 2014, O'Rourke donated at least $28,000 from his own campaign funds to fellow Democratic candidates for House seats.[66] O'Rourke was re-elected in 2014 with 67 percent of the vote.
In November 2014, O'Rourke opposed Obama's deferred action policy that used an executive action to bypass Congress in order to spare approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, saying "the motive is noble, but the means are really hard to stomach."[67]
O'Rourke was one of six members of Congress who took a six-day trip to Israel that included meetings with Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators, political leaders and residents.[68] O'Rourke's previous decisions to vote against U.S. funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and not attend Israel's prime minister's address to Congress had been controversial; the bill was easily passed in the House, with a 395-8 vote.[68] While saying he was not against funding the project, he was reluctant to support sending $225 million to Israel without any debate or discussion, and said that the US's policy of "unequivocal support at times has been damaging to Israel."[68] He returned from the trip hopeful.[68]
2016
In June 2016,[69] O'Rourke endorsed Hillary Clinton for President, being one of the last Democratic congressmen to support her during the primary.[70] As a sitting member of Congress, O'Rourke was a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.[69] In October 2015, O'Rourke announced his bid for a third term in 2016.[71] He won the Democratic primary and defeated his Green and Libertarian opponents in the general election.[72] When Nancy Pelosi faced a leadership challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, O'Rourke backed Ryan.[73] O'Rourke said that he believed in term limits, and therefore that it was time for new leadership.[73] He had given himself a term limit in the House, and promised not to serve any more than 12 years in the Senate if elected.[70]
In 2017, the congressman, along with Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Eric Swalwell of California, sponsored the American Families United Act, which promoted the idea that US citizens have the right to sponsor their spouses for legal immigration.[74]
O'Rourke gave up his congressional seat to run for Senate in 2018. Former El Paso County judge Veronica Escobar, also a Democrat, was elected to succeed him.
Committee assignments
Committee on Armed Services
Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Caucus memberships
New Democrat Coalition[75]
Congressional Arts Caucus[76]
2018 Senate campaign
Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in Texas
Beto O'Rourke during a rally in Austin, Texas, November 2018
As O'Rourke was considering entering the 2018 Texas Senate race, political experts considered him a "longshot" candidate.[77] Ben Terris of The Washington Post said he was suffering from a "bug" causing "mass delusions that the old rules of politics no longer apply." He asked, "Can a Democrat really win in this deeply red state—against Cruz, who will be running one of the best-financed campaigns in the country? And can he do so on a positive message about Mexicans in an era when calling them rapists helped make a man president?"[48]
No Democrat has been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.[36] On March 31, 2017, O'Rourke formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Ted Cruz.[78] In March 2018, O'Rourke became the Democratic Party nominee, winning 61.8 percent of the primary vote.[79] O'Rourke campaigned in all of Texas's 254 counties, sometimes drawing large crowds and sometimes speaking to as few as 15 or 20 people.[citation needed] He said he planned to run a positive campaign, not focused on Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.[80]
O'Rourke ran his campaign without professional pollsters or consultants, and relied on volunteers with no experience running a political campaign.[80] His campaign employed the use of mass text messages.[81] According to the 2018 third-quarter report from the FEC, his campaign spent US$7.3 million on digital advertising alone (in contrast with Cruz's $251,000).[82] His first ad was filmed on an iPhone.[82][83]
He posted to social media daily, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and livestreamed his activities traveling the state, such as skateboarding in a Whataburger parking lot, washing clothes at a laundromat, and "blockwalking" in his constituents' neighborhoods.[84] He encouraged supporters to post selfies they had taken with him to social media.[84] Some of his videos went viral, including his position on NFL players "taking a knee" and police brutality against unarmed black men.[85][86] Supporters said O'Rourke's "promise of compassion", more than any specific policy position, drew their support.[87]
Funding
O'Rourke pledged not to accept PAC contributions for his Senate campaign. He raised $2 million within the first three months, mostly from small donations.[88][89] During the campaign, PolitiFact rated his claim of not taking PAC money as "true".[90] He received his first major organizational endorsement from End Citizens United in June 2017,[91] which found that he had raised triple the funds of Cruz without accepting corporate special interest money.[92] In the most recently reported quarter, he raised $10.4 million to Cruz's $4.6 million, with each candidate having raised $23 million by September 1.[87] O'Rourke raised more than $38 million in the third quarter, three times Cruz's totals for the same period.[93] It is the most raised in a U.S. Senate race in history.[93] According to his campaign, the donations came from 802,836 individual contributions, mostly from Texas.[93] When asked if he would share the funds with Democrats in other races, he declined, saying that he wanted to honor "the commitment that those who've contributed to this campaign have made to me."[94]
Debates
The first of three scheduled debates between O'Rourke and Ted Cruz took place on September 21, 2018. The candidates disagreed on gun rights, immigration, marijuana, the "take a knee" controversy, and the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. During the debate, O'Rourke was asked about attempting to leave the scene of a drunk driving accident in 1998. He denied it. PolitiFact rated his denial "mostly false",[95] and The Washington Post rated it "Four Pinocchios."[96]
At the end, the moderator asked the candidates to "say something nice about each other". O'Rourke praised Cruz's parenting. Cruz compared O'Rourke to Bernie Sanders, saying he "admired [his] willingness to stand up for socialist beliefs and high taxes." O'Rourke replied, "True to form."[97][98] Analysts described Cruz as more experienced and aggressive, but said O'Rourke won over the crowd.[99][100]
Cruz declined to participate in the third, town hall-style debate for CNN held on October 18, 2018. O'Rourke agreed to attend the town hall meeting alone.[101] During the meeting, O'Rourke said he did not see himself running for President because of having young children. He said he regretted calling Ted Cruz "Lyin' Ted", a nickname given by Donald Trump. He confirmed that he would vote to impeach and indict Trump. He defended his Spanish nickname against accusations of cultural appropriation.[102][103]
Endorsements
O'Rourke campaign logo
On October 19, the Houston Chronicle announced its endorsement of O'Rourke, saying the "congressman's command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans make him one of the most impressive candidates this editorial board has encountered in many years. Despite the long odds he faces...a 'Beto' victory would be good for Texas, not only because of his skills, both personal and political, but also because of the manifest inadequacies of the man he would replace."[104] The Chronicle expressed criticism of Ted Cruz, who they endorsed when he ran for the Senate six years before, saying he has shown "little interest in addressing the needs of his fellow Texans during his six years in office."[104] On October 25, Dallas Morning News endorsed O'Rourke after commenting on the divisive climate in politics, saying, "O'Rourke is the stronger candidate. In conducting his campaign, he has displayed a demeanor that offers respect for each person and a humbleness that will allow him to open the door to working with those who hold political views different from his."[105] On October 26, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which serves the notably conservative Fort Worth and Tarrant County, endorsed O'Rourke, saying, "Only O'Rourke seems interested in making deals or finding middle ground. That is why the El Paso Democrat would make the best senator for Tarrant County's future, and the future of Texas."[106]
Singer and activist Willie Nelson announced his support for O'Rourke and held a rally for him on September 29 in Austin, Texas. In a statement, Nelson said, "My wife Annie and I have met and spoken with Beto and we share his concern for the direction things are headed. Beto embodies what is special about Texas, an energy and an integrity that is completely genuine.”[107] At the end of the rally, Nelson debuted his new election-inspired song "Vote 'Em Out".[108] A few hours before the polls closed, Beyonce posted a picture of herself on social media wearing a "Beto for Senate" baseball cap with the caption, "I'm feeling grateful for everyone before me who fought so hard to give us all the right to have a voice."[109] Other celebrity endorsements included Khalid, Aaron Jones, Eva Longoria, LeBron James, Jim Carrey, Travis Scott, Ellen DeGeneres, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Kelly Rowland.[110]
Polls and news coverage
A September 18, 2018, a Quinnipiac poll based on phone interviews put Cruz 9 points ahead of O'Rourke among likely voters, but a September 19 Ipsos online poll done in conjunction with Reuters and the University of Virginia showed O'Rourke leading Cruz by 2 points. The Ipsos poll also questioned respondents about their major concerns; Republicans reported immigration as their major concern while Democrats reported healthcare. Questioned regarding their likelihood of voting in the midterm elections, more Democrats than Republicans reported the likelihood that they would turn out. Ipsos Vice President Chris Jackson said that this was interesting (since Republicans usually have the momentum advantage in Texas), and that "it demonstrates how Democrats are mobilized. This election is going to be really competitive and its going to be very hard fought."[111] Going into the third debate on October 18, 2018, a CNN poll, conducted by SSRS, showed Cruz leading the campaign 52 percent to 45 percent among likely voters.[102]
The media made comparisons between O'Rourke's Senate campaign and Obama's 2008 campaign for President, drawing parallels between their charismatic speaking styles, optimistic tones, and the nationwide attention their campaigns generated.[112][113][114] Peter Hamby of Vanity Fair said that the energy of O'Rourke's rallies felt a lot like those of Obama in 2007.[114]
Results
On November 6, 2018, Ted Cruz defeated O'Rourke.[115][116][117] Cruz won 51 percent of the vote, compared to 48 percent for O'Rourke.[118] Despite his loss, O'Rourke took credit for the election of several down-ticket candidates of the Democratic Party, which some called the "Beto Effect".[119] For example, Republicans lost the Texas Third Court of Appeals and Fifth Court of Appeals.[120]
Of 150 state House seats, 12 formerly Republican seats were taken by Democrats, as well as two of the state's 31 state Senate seats.[121] O'Rourke received over 4 million votes, compared to Hillary Clinton, who received only 3.9 million votes in the 2016 presidential election in Texas, and David Alameel, the Democratic nominee in the 2014 Texas Senate race, who received only 1.6 million votes.[121]
2020 presidential election
O'Rourke campaign logo
Main article: Beto O'Rourke 2020 presidential campaign
In late 2018, speculation began that O'Rourke might run in the United States presidential election in 2020.[122] Prior to the midterm elections, The New Republic said O'Rourke's Senate campaign was the beginning of a bid for the presidency, despite calling it "journalistic hedging," or a justification for the media extensively covering a candidate who was expected to lose his race.[113][123]
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona said he has "name recognition, a widely successful fundraising operation, a young fresh face with a sprinkling of woke, a cool persona, a new perspective, he speaks Spanish and would be an exciting and upbeat candidate."[124] The possibility of an O'Rourke candidacy made some donors hesitate to commit to a candidate.[125] On March 13, El Paso TV station KTSM-TV reported that O'Rourke had decided to run for the 2020 presidency.[126]
On March 14, O'Rourke confirmed speculation by announcing on Twitter that he was entering the presidential race. [127]
Political views
Political analysts classify O'Rourke as a progressive, liberal, or centrist.[128][129][130] During his time in Congress, O'Rourke was a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a pro-business member organization.[131][132][75] National Journal gave O'Rourke a composite ideology of 85 percent liberal and 15 percent conservative in 2013.[133] Describing himself, O'Rourke has said that he does not know where he falls on the political spectrum. He has sponsored bipartisan bills as well as broken with his party on issues like trade.[134]
GovTrack placed O'Rourke near the ideological center of the Democratic Party; the American Civil Liberties Union gave him an 88 percent rating, while the United States Chamber of Commerce, a more conservative group, gave him a 47 percent rating.[135] According to FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional voting records, O'Rourke voted in line with Donald Trump 30.1 percent of the time during the 115th Congress.[136]
Bipartisanship
Allegheny College bestowed the 2018 Prize for Civility in Public Life to O'Rourke together with Will Hurd, a Texas Republican. In March 2017, facing snowstorm induced flight cancellations O'Rourke and Hurd, both stuck in San Antonio, needed to get back to Washington for a House vote. They rented a car and embarked on a 1,600 mi (2,600 km) drive that they captured on Facebook Live.[137][138][139] O'Rourke and Hurd have worked collaboratively on legislation since the road trip.[140]
Business
O'Rourke supports stronger antitrust laws to break up monopolies which he believes "stifle competition and innovation." He promotes industry and business regulations meant to promote competition, help the economy to grow, and protect consumers. He believes, "We must connect those out of work with the high value jobs being created right here in Texas by investing in the training, certification and apprenticeship programs that make it possible."[141] He has received high scores from labor unions with lifetime and yearly position scores of 90–100 percent from the AFL-CIO and a 95 percent lifetime score from AFSCME.[142]
Crime
In an essay he wrote for Houston Chronicle he repeated a common refrain of his campaign,[143] that "Harris County Jail is the largest provider of mental health services in our state," and quoted the statistic that "the jail has more people receiving psychiatric treatment every day than the nine state mental hospitals in Texas combined."[144] He proposed that politicians work to eliminate private, for-profit prisons, end the "war on drugs," stop using mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent drug offenses, end cash bail that disproportionately affects those unable to pay bail with longer jail sentences,[145] and provide reentry programs to reduce recidivism for non-violent criminals.[144]
Drugs
O'Rourke favors the legalization of cannabis.[146] 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.[147][148] He has called for the arrest records of individuals sentenced for possession of small amounts of cannabis to be expunged.[145] During the 2018 Senate campaign, O'Rourke's opponent, Ted Cruz, claimed that O'Rourke sought to legalize heroin; in 2009 when O’Rourke was an El Paso city council member he called for "honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition on narcotics".[145]
Education
O'Rourke is in favor of increasing federal aid to public schools in low-income communities. He believes that teachers and local education officials should have more autonomy in setting classroom standards with a reduction of emphasis on "arbitrary, high-stakes tests".[141]
Environment
Before he was elected to city council, he joined neighborhood and community efforts to stop the re-permitting of the local ASARCO copper smelter, and once he was on the city council, he made several efforts to ensure that the copper smelter did not re-open.[149][150]
O'Rourke supports efforts to combat global warming. He has advocated putting a price on carbon emissions and wants to substantially increase the use of renewable energy. He has been a vocal critic of the Trump Administration's elimination of greenhouse gas regulations and the shrinking of the budget for environmental projects.[151]
O'Rourke has introduced legislation to establish a national monument at Castner Range, near El Paso, and successfully included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to protect the area, which includes a historic military training facility.[151]
O'Rourke's holds a lifetime voting record of 95 percent and a 2017 score of 100 percent with the League of Conservation Voters' national environmental ranking.[152]
Foreign policy
Beto O'Rourke at the Inter-American Dialogue conference in 2016
O'Rourke denounced the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem as "provocative." He supports a two-state solution and believes that the U.S. could best support a peaceful settlement by urging Israel to discontinue settlements in the West Bank and assist the Palestinian Authority to negotiate in good faith and recognize Israel's right to exist.[153]
In July 2018, O'Rourke said that Trump's performance while attending the 2018 Russia–United States summit in Helsinki warranted impeachment.[154] Addressing the Trump–Putin joint press conference of July 16, he said standing "on stage in another country with the leader of another country who wants to and has sought to undermine this country, and to side with him over the United States—if I were asked to vote on this I would vote to impeach the president."[155]
In an interview with ABC, O'Rourke suggested that the United States address the migrant caravan by investing in stability in countries where the migrants originate, countries in the Northern Triangle of Central America.[156]
Immigration
O'Rourke favors comprehensive immigration reform.[157][158] As early as 2012, he asserted that his experience living on the border gave him "a strong understanding of immigration's impact on our community," calling El Paso "an Ellis Island to Latin America for more than 150 years," and spoke against 'militarizing' the border.[159] 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.[160][161] O'Rourke said it is a "top priority" to protect DREAMers.[160] In October 2016, he gave a TEDx talk, titled The Border Makes America Great, about his views on immigration.[162]
He has criticized President Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration, saying: "[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."[17][163] In June 2018, O'Rourke led protests in Tornillo, Texas, to protest the Trump administration family separation policy which involved the separation of children of immigrant families. The city is located just miles from the Rio Grande, the river that creates the border of the United States and Mexico in the state of Texas.[164] The Trump administration had created a "tent-city" in Tornillo, where separated children were being held without their parents. O'Rourke called this practice "Un-American" and the responsibility of all Americans.[165][166]
Ted Cruz asserted in 2018 that O'Rourke wanted "open borders and wants to take our guns."[167] 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."[167]
Guns
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.[168]
He supports universal background checks for gun purchases.[169] On March 7, 2018, O'Rourke told Alisyn Camerota of CNN: "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."[170] He has called for a complete ban on assault rifles.[171]
Social issues
O'Rourke voted against the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion[172] and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017,[173] which would have permanently banned the use of federal funds for abortions and reformed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prohibit qualified health plans from including coverage for abortions.[better source needed]
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.[174] He was a co-sponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2013 (H.R. 3135).[175]
On healthcare, O'Rourke supports single-payer legislation and universal health coverage, but disagreed with House and Senate proposals.[176] The House bill, John Conyers' Medicare For All bill (HR 676), would require that providers be public institutions or nonprofits, but O'Rourke wants to include all providers as Medicare does.[177][178] The Senate bill, supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders, would have no copays, and no premiums for low-income families, but O'Rourke wants everyone to pay in to some extent. He supports stabilization of the insurance markets to improve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He also supports the expansion of Medicaid and is a co-sponsor of the Medicare-X Choice Act of 2017.[179][180][181]
O'Rourke has spoken out against racial inequality. He supports the football players who have taken part in the "Take a knee" protests. Speaking in a video that went viral, O'Rourke said he believes there is "nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere or any place."[182] He has also lamented the fact that despite being arrested twice in his youth, he was able to take advantage of a second chance, chances that are often "denied to too many of our fellow Texans, particularly those who don't look like me or have access to the same opportunities that I did."[144] In September 2018, Cruz posted to Twitter a video of O'Rourke in a Dallas church, largely attended by African-Americans, speaking out against the killing of Bothem Shem Jean, an unarmed black man in his own home, by an off-duty police officer.[86] In the video, the crowd gave the speech a standing ovation, and the video served to bolster O'Rourke's standing nationally, going viral and receiving wide praise.[183]
Veterans
O'Rourke has held monthly veterans town hall meetings since he was elected in 2013.[184] After hearing about long wait times, especially regarding mental health, he carried out his own local survey of veterans, which showed wait times far exceeding what the VA was reporting. To try to better meet veteran's needs, O'Rourke and others worked to establish a new program at the El Paso VA designed to care for military related health issues within the hospital while using community clinics or medical facilities in the area for more standard medical needs.[185]
O'Rourke co-sponsored the bipartisan bill H.R. 1604, the Veterans' Mental Health Care Access Act, with Republican Congressmen Tom MacArthur, which expanded options for veterans seeking mental health care to non-VA facilities.[186][187] O'Rourke serves on both the House Veterans' Affairs Committee,[188] and the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees military installations such as Fort Bliss, headquartered in El Paso.[189]
In September 2016, three bills that were attached as amendments to H.R. 5620 (or the VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016) were approved unanimously with bipartisan support in the House. The first, the Vet Connect Act of 2016 (H.R. 5162), would allow a veteran's entire medical record to be shared with a community provider, without explicit written consent, with a pilot of the program then being tried in El Paso. The Ask Veterans Act (H.R. 1319) would have a non-government contractor conduct an annual survey on behalf of the secretary of Veterans Affairs in order to determine veterans' experiences with hospital care and medical services at VA facilities, the results of which would be publicly accessible. O'Rourke developed this idea from feedback from veterans at town hall meetings. The Get Vets a Doc Now Act (H.R. 5501) would allow the VA to provide conditional job offers to resident doctors two years before the completion of their programs, in an effort to recruit doctors to fill the shortage of 43,000 clinicians.[190]
Climate Change
O'Rourke has stated: "I believe that in tackling climate change and the greatest environmental threat we have ever faced, we need to take unprecedented action in building a foundation for a clean energy economy. Harmful emissions that contribute to climate change also pollute our air and water. Climate change threatens our food supply, our security and the complex ecosystem that sustains humanity. I will work with other members of the House of Representatives, the Senate and our President in helping our country put together a plan that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the point where they match levels that can be absorbed by Earth's ecosystems. Educating our fellow Americans about this threat to our quality of life is important to our success, and I will do all I can to make this issue a top priority in Congress."[191]
Personal life
O'Rourke married Amy Hoover Sanders, the daughter of Louann and Bill Sanders, at her parents' ranch in Lamy, New Mexico, on September 24, 2005.[26] Bill Sanders is a real estate developer.[192] Louann Sanders is the director of education development for La Fe Community Development Corporation, and executive director of La Fe Preparatory charter school.[193] The couple and their three children live in El Paso's Sunset Heights area in a Henry Trost-designed mission-style house where General Hugh Scott and Pancho Villa reportedly met in 1915.[36][18][194]
On July 3, 2001, O'Rourke's father died while riding his bicycle along the shoulder of Pete Domenici Highway just across the New Mexico state line when he was struck from behind by a vehicle; he was pronounced dead at the scene. O'Rourke delivered the eulogy during the funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[195][196][17]
Works
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
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