Ex-punk rocker O'Rourke makes his 2018 Senate bid official
Beto O'Rourke, a 44-year-old Democrat from the West Texas city of El Paso, has advocated for legalizing marijuana and preaches tolerance on the U.S.-Mexico border in defiance of President Donald Trump's "Build that wall" mantra.
The third-term congressman and fluent Spanish speaker is nonetheless the kind of rising political star Democrats hope can help begin turning deep red Texas blue, aided by a booming Hispanic population and state politics pushed even farther right by Trump and Cruz.
O'Rourke first made a name for himself playing guitar for Foss, an El Paso punk rock band that included drummer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who went on to play for the Grammy Award-winning act The Mars Volta.
O'Rourke was elected to the El Paso City Council at age 32 but remained virtually unknown outside his hometown until the 2012 Democratic primary, when he ousted eight-term Rep. Silvestre Reyes, a former House Intelligence chairman.
The son of a former El Paso County judge who was a longtime Democrat but switched parties, O'Rourke is an outspoken advocate for bipartisanship, which he says can foment trade and cultural exchange on the border.