Who is Beto O'Rourke? The Democrat backed by Beyonce tipped to run against Donald Trump in 2020

The Democratic nominee for Texas has become the surprise favourite to take on Trump in the 2020 presidential elections 
Fresh face: Some Americans hope Beto O'Rourke will help reinvent the Democratic Party after running a promising campaign during the midterms.
AP
Georgia Chambers7 November 2018

Rising Democratic star Beto O'Rourke lost his bid for a seat in Congress to Ted Cruz in one of the US midterms most closely watched races.

He thanked thousands of his supporters in his hometown of El Paso, Texas as he conceded defeat on election day.

"I believe in you, I believe in Texas and I believe in this country," he said. "I'm as inspired, I'm as hopeful as I've ever been in my life. Tonight's loss does nothing to diminish the way that I feel about Texas or this country."

Some Texans had hoped that Mr O'Rourke could be their chance of turning Texas blue after decades of Republican control.

Despite his loss, Mr O'Rourke has attracted widespread media attention for the best showing of a Democrat in a US senate race for 20 years, running a charismatic campaign with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Beyonce.

Who is Beto O'Rourke?

Democratic candidate for the US Senate Beto ORourke addresses his last public event in Austin before election night at the Pan American Neighborhood Park on November 4, 2018 in Austin, Texas.
AFP/Getty Images

Beto O'Rourke - full name Robert Francis O'Rourke - was born in El Paso, a city in Western Texas.

"Beto" is a common nickname for the Mexican name "Roberto", and some conservatives have sought to portray Mr O'Rourke as pandering to Latino voters, given that he is of Latin descent.

The 44-year-old's political career reached prominence when he ran for El Paso City Council in 2005, serving for two terms before running for Congress and winning in 2012.

He's been dubbed the "punk rock Democrat" due to his earlier involvement in the punk rock scene, an aspect of his past which Republicans have also targeted.

In August of this year, the Texas GOP Twitter account began circulating a photo of 20-something Mr O'Rourke's mugshot.

He was arrested twice but not convicted in a 1995 misdemeanour arrest for jumping over a fence at the University of Texas El Paso campus and a 1998 misdemeanour drunken-driving arrest in El Paso, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Regardless, Mr O'Rourke continued to gain popularity after a video of him defending NFL players who knelt during the national anthem went viral.

In the video, he said: "Non-violently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem to ensure we can fix it. That is why they are doing it."

He added: "I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, any time, anywhere, in any place."

Throughout his campaign, Mr O'Rourke presented himself as the people's politician, pledging to stand with all Texans and refusing to take Political Action Committee (PAC) money, an organisation which pools campaign contributions from members – usually represented by business, labour or ideological interests – and donates these funds to campaign for or against candidates.

Speaking on his decision to reject PAC, Mr O'Rourke said: "I am leaving millions of dollars on the table, but that's fine because it's bringing thousands of people into this campaign. There is no other influence or concern or interests that I have to pay attention to and if elected, there is no one else that I am serving except Texas families and the state."

What are his policies?

Beto O'Rourke, the 2018 Democratic Candidate for the Senate in Texas, waves to supporters as he leaves a polling place with his family after voting, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in El Paso, Texas.
AP

Beto O'Rourke is a progressive democrat, recognising health care as a "basic human right, not a privilege," and being openly critical of Donald Trump's proposed border wall between the US and Mexico.

Like many Democrats, he wants to protect the Obama-era Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid.

In terms of immigration, he has demanded the "end to the militarisation of our immigration enforcement system and close private immigration prisons and detention centres that are locking up families."

Mr O'Rourke is probably best known for wanting to legalise marijuana, which he views as a decreased path to gang violence.

Some critics have described his stance on national security as weak for criticising the US war on terror whilst not implying it should end immediately.

Could he run for president?

Beto O'Rourke supporters during a Democratic rally at the University of Texas in El Paso, Texas.
REUTERS

Many of his supporters seem to think so.

Following his defeat, Twitter was awash with people using the hashtag #Beto2020, despite Mr O'Rourke saying himself that running for president in 2020 was a "definitive no."

Throughout the election Mr O'Rourke denied that he would run against the president if elected to US Senate in 202.

But if he was to change his mind, how likely is it that Mr O'Rourke could take the White House?

A Democratic win for the House of Representatives does well to prove a shift in voter opinion.

Mr O'Rourke did not mention 2020 in his concession speech on Tuesday, but he hinted at continuing to fight for bipartisan values in Texas.

“I’ll work with anyone – anyone, anytime, anywhere – to make sure in the same way that you’ve been there for us, that now we can be there for you,” he concluded. “Not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Texans, as Americans.”

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