Robert Francis " Beto " O'Rourke ( / ˈ b ɛ t oʊ / BEH -toh , also / ˈ b ɛ d oʊ / BED -oh ; Spanish pronunciation: ['beto] ; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party , O'Rourke was the party's nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018 , [1] a candidate for the presidential nomination in 2020 , [2] and the party's nominee for the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election . [3]
O'Rourke was born into a local political family in El Paso, Texas , and is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School and Columbia University . [4] While studying at Columbia, he began a brief music career as bass guitarist in the post-hardcore band Foss . After his college graduation, he returned to El Paso and began a business career. In 2005, he was elected to the El Paso City Council , serving until 2011; he served as mayor pro tempore during his first year in office. O'Rourke was elected to the U.S. House o
After being re-elected to the House in 2014 and 2016, O'Rourke declined to seek another term in 2018. Instead, he sought the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ted Cruz , running a competitive campaign that drew national attention. Despite losing the election to Cruz by a margin of 2.6%, O'Rourke set a record for most votes ever cast for a Democrat in a midterm election in Texas.