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CNN Editorial Research
4 minute read
Updated 4:05 PM EDT, Wed September 20, 2023
Beto O'Rourke speaks at a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, in March 2019.
O'Rourke, right, was born Robert Francis O'Rourke on September 26, 1972. His nickname Beto -- a shortened version of Roberto -- was given to him by his parents, Patrick and Melissa. Patrick O'Rourke served as a county commissioner and a county judge. Melissa O'Rourke was a furniture store owner.
O'Rourke posted this old photo of him and his father in 2017. O'Rourke has two younger sisters, Erin and Charlotte.
While he was in college in the early 1990s, O'Rourke was a member of two punk-rock bands. He played guitar for the band known as Foss, which released an EP called "The El Paso puss*cats." O'Rourke, left, also played with a band called the Sheeps, who wore sheep masks and long johns during performances. He graduated from Columbia University in 1995.
In September 1998, O'Rourke was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. The charges were dismissed after he completed a diversion program. He later referred to the incident as a terrible mistake. "I have owned up to it and I have taken responsibility for it," he told the El Paso Times in 2005.
O'Rourke and his wife, Amy. The two married in 2005 and have three children together: Henry, Molly and Ulysses.
O'Rourke and members of his family pose for a photo with House Speaker John Boehner after O'Rourke was sworn into Congress in January 2013. O'Rourke started his political career in 2005, when he was elected to the El Paso City Council.
O'Rourke meets with campaign volunteers in February 2013. He served Texas's 16th District for three terms.
O'Rourke and his wife sit with their son Ulysses as they watch their daughter, Molly, play volleyball in February 2017.
O'Rourke meets with supporters following a speech in Austin, Texas, in April 2017. O'Rourke announced that he would not be seeking re-election in 2018, choosing instead to run for the US Senate seat held by Republican Ted Cruz.
O'Rourke talks to his wife from a hotel room in Bay City, Texas, in February 2018.
O'Rourke plays in a fundraiser baseball game in April 2018.
O'Rourke performs with Micah Nelson, left, and Ray Benson during the 45th annual Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic in July 2018.
Vicente Bonilla, 4, dances at an O'Rourke rally in Fort Worth, Texas, in August 2018. O'Rourke, who speaks fluent Spanish, was meeting with supporters at an event called Musica con Beto (Music With Beto).
O'Rourke shakes hands with US Sen. Ted Cruz at a debate in Dallas in September 2018.
O'Rourke signs a note for a supporter after a campaign rally in Fort Worth in October 2018. It reads: "Dear Linda! Keep the faith!"
O'Rourke tries to cheer up a crying baby at a campaign rally in Conroe, Texas, in October 2018.
The O'Rourkes walk home after voting in El Paso in November 2018.
O'Rourke concedes the race to Cruz on Election Day.
A campaign poster for O'Rourke is displayed in a store window in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in January 2019. It was a couple of months before O'Rourke confirmed that he would be running for president.
While at the dentist in January 2019, O'Rourke posted video to Instagram. "We're going to continue our series on the people of the border," he said, introducing his dental hygienist Diana and saying she was "going to tell us a little bit about growing up in El Paso." Diana explained that her mother was from Mexico and her father was from the United States. She said she was born in El Paso and that her neighborhood helped her mother study to become a US citizen.
O'Rourke talks with Oprah Winfrey at an event in New York in February 2019.
O'Rourke speaks to residents of Burlington, Iowa, during a meet-and-greet event at the Beancounter Coffeehouse & Drinkery in March 2019. O'Rourke announced that day that he would be running for president.
O'Rourke is reflected in a supporter's sunglasses as he speaks during a campaign rally in El Paso in March 2019.
O'Rourke speaks to people in Des Moines, Iowa, during his CNN town-hall event in May 2019.
O'Rourke gives a thumbs-up before the start of the first Democratic debates in June 2019. With him, from left, are US Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.
O'Rourke speaks to the media after a mass shooting in El Paso in August 2019. O'Rourke lashed out at President Trump during his comments, saying that Trump has been "promoting racism" with his incendiary remarks about immigration. Trump called the El Paso tragedy an "act of cowardice" and said there "are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing people."
In photos: Former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke
CNN —
Here’s a look at the life of former US Representative Beto O’Rourke.
Personal
Birth date: September 26, 1972
Birth place: El Paso, Texas
Birth name: Robert Francis O’Rourke
Father: Patrick O’Rourke, former county commissioner and El Paso county judge
Mother: Melissa O’Rourke, furniture store owner
Marriage: Amy (Hoover Sanders) O’Rourke (September 24, 2005-present)
Children: Henry, Molly and Ulysses
Education: Columbia University, B.A., 1995
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts
The nickname Beto, a shortened version of Roberto, was given to O’Rourke by his parents.
Speaks Spanish fluently.
He named his son, Ulysses, after the Greek hero in Homer’s Odyssey.
O’Rourke was a member of two punk rock bands. He played guitar for the band known as Foss, which released an EP called “The El Paso puss*cats.” He also played with a band called the Sheeps, who wore sheep masks and long johns during performances.
Beto O'Rourke speaks to local residents during a meet and greet at the Beancounter Coffeehouse & Drinkery, Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Burlington, Iowa.
Timeline
May 1995 - O’Rourke is charged with a misdemeanor for burglary. He later says of the incident that he “jumped a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso which resulted in a burglary charge.” The charge is later dropped.
September 1998 - O’Rourke is arrested for drunk driving and charged with DWI. He completes a diversion program and the charges are dismissed. He later refers to the incident as a “terrible mistake.”
1999 - At age 26, O’Rourke co-founds Stanton Street Technology Group, an El Paso-based web design company.
2005 - He is elected as an El Paso city councilman, defeating the incumbent.
2013-2019 - O’Rourke wins a seat in the US House of Representatives and serves Texas’s 16th District for three terms.
March 22, 2017 - O’Rourke acts as a primary sponsor for the “Honor Our Commitment Act,” which directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand mental health services for veterans. The measure passes as part of an omnibus spending bill on March 22, 2018.
March 31, 2017 - Announces he will run for US Senate in Texas against the incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz.
December 12, 2017 - The National Defense Authorization Act for the 2017 fiscal year passes and includes a measure written by O’Rourke, mandating that service members must undergo a mental health examination before leaving the armed forces.
October 18, 2018 - Takes questions by himself at a CNN town hall. Cruz’s campaign initially accepts but later declines CNN’s invitation to participate.
November 6, 2018 - O’Rourke loses the election for US Senate to Cruz by a 3% margin. His campaign drew national attention because O’Rourke visited every county in Texas and focused on social media. He also refused to take money from political action committees.
Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke shake hands after a debate at McFarlin Auditorium at SMU on September 21, 2018 in Dallas, Texas.
January 16, 2019 - Two weeks after leaving Congress, O’Rourke blogs in a travel-diary-style post on Medium about being “in and out of a funk” and hitting the road to “clear [his] head” as calls grow for him to run.
February 11, 2019 - O’Rourke joins a counter protest, dubbed the “March for Truth,” while President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in El Paso.
March 14, 2019 - O’Rourke announces he’s running for president.
March 18, 2019 - Says that he raised $6.1 million in the first 24 hours of his presidential campaign, in what amounts to the largest first-day haul to date of any 2020 Democratic contender.
September 12, 2019 - During the third Democratic debate, O’Rourke reiterates his support for a mandatory gun-buyback program of assault-style rifles and says, “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” O’Rourke’s comments came in the wake of a string of mass shootings in the United States, including in his hometown of El Paso, where 22 people were gunned down at a Walmart in August. O’Rourke unveiled a proposal weeks after the shooting calling for a national gun registry, a nationwide gun licensing system and the mandatory buyback of assault-style rifles as part of his plan to curb gun violence and the rise of white nationalism.
November 1, 2019 - O’Rourke ends his presidential campaign.
March 2, 2020 - O’Rourke endorses former Vice President Joe Biden.
November 15, 2021 - O’Rourke announces he’s running for Texas governor.
May 25, 2022 - O’Rourke confronts Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott and other officials during a press conference about the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 people – including 19 children – died. “The time to stop the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing,” O’Rourke tells Abbott.
November 8, 2022 - O’Rourke loses the election for Texas governor to Abbott, who wins a third term.
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