Beto O'Rourke: podcast appearances and interviews

Robert Francis O'Rourke, known as Beto, is an American politician born on September 26, 1972. He served as the United States representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. As a member of the Democratic Party, O'Rourke was the party's nominee for the United States Senate in 2018, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and the party's nominee for the Texas gubernatorial election in 2022. Born into a local political family in El Paso, Texas, he graduated from Woodberry Forest School and Columbia University. During his time at Columbia, he briefly pursued a music career as a bass guitarist in the post-hardcore band Foss. After college, he returned to El Paso to begin a business career. In 2005, O'Rourke was elected to the El Paso City Council, serving until 2011, and during his first year, he served as mayor pro tempore. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 after defeating incumbent Democrat Silvestre Reyes in the primary. O'Rourke was re-elected in 2014 and 2016, opting not to seek another term in 2018 to pursue a Senate seat held by Republican Ted Cruz. He ran a competitive campaign but was ultimately defeated by Cruz by a 2.6% margin, setting a record for Democratic votes in Texas. In March 2019, he announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential race but suspended it in November of that year due to limited traction and financial issues, ultimately endorsing Joe Biden. In March 2022, O'Rourke secured the Democratic nomination for Texas governor but lost to incumbent Greg Abbott.