Beto O'Rourke
Beto O’Rourke is an empathetic voice for those left behind. He has become a spiritual and a political force in American politics - one that motivates his flock to engage in the economic and social justice struggles of our time.
O’Rourke was shaped by the bilingual border community of El Paso, Texas - a place where cultures overlap. That blend of humanity instilled in him a worldview rooted in empathy and civic responsibility.
His political career began with his election to the El Paso City Council in 2005, where he worked on urban revitalization, cross-border cooperation, and government accountability. In 2012 he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’s 16th congressional district.
During six years in Congress, O’Rourke earned a reputation as a problem solver. He focused on expanding healthcare, supporting veterans, border policy, and confronting the influence of money in politics. He went to great lengths to meet with voters where they lived and he listened.
O’Rourke became a phenomenon during his 2018 Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. He visited all 254 Texas counties, shattering records for small-dollar fundraising and by relying on authenticity rather than consultants and polling. Rejecting PAC money, he built a grassroots movement that energized voters. He lost in a very close race.
In 2019, O’Rourke made a short-lived bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, advancing bold positions on gun reform, climate change, racial justice, and immigration - issues he felt were moral imperatives. Three years later he unsuccessfully challenged Texas Governor Greg Abbott, centering his campaign on power-grid failures, reproductive freedom, gun safety, and what he described as governmental neglect during mounting crises.
Since then, he has been busy registering new Texas voters, concentrating on those ignored by the power elite in a state that has been quite imaginative in finding ways to suppress their voices. Guided by hope and determination, O’Rourke knows that to get things done you just have to slug it out and take all the turbulence that goes with action.
“We can either be governed by fear - fear of immigrants, fear of Muslims, call the press the enemy of the people, tear kids away from their parents - or we can be governed by aspirations to make things better for all. And that's America at its best.”
EL PASO, TEXAS – APRIL 4, 2025