Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (/ˈbɛtoʊ/; born September 26, 1972) is an American politician and businessman. He was the U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He was elected to congress in 2012. He ran for President of the United States in 2020. O'Rourke is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas in the 2022 election.
O'Rourke was the Democratic nominee in the 2018 Texas Senate race, challenging Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. He lost the general election to Cruz.
After the 2018 election, O'Rourke had been seen as a possible candidate for President of the United States in the upcoming 2020 presidential election. Other analysts have seen O'Rourke as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
On March 13, 2019, O'Rourke announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President. He ended his bid on November 1, 2019. In November 2021, he said that he is running for Governor of Texas in the 2022 election.