Beto O'Rourke is running for Texas governor: Here's what to know about the candidate

Although Democrat Beto O'Rourke served in Congress from 2013 to 2019, few people outside of his hometown of El Paso knew who he was before he decided to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.

O'Rourke formally announced Nov. 15 that he would be running for Texas governor, saying he's trying to end the "extremist policies" that divide Texans.

His campaign in September hosted 120 "volunteer rallies" across the state to strengthen his organizing ranks heading into the fall campaign season. The goal of these events was to recruit and train thousands of new volunteers who can aid the campaign's efforts to knock on 5 million doors before the November election, according to his campaign.

The native El Pasoan is a relentless campaigner who visited Texas' 254 counties during his failed run for U.S. Senate against Cruz.

Here's what to know about O'Rourke leading up to the midterm elections Nov. 8:

Beto debates Gov. Greg Abbott

Incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and O'Rourke agreed to a single debate ahead of the general election and it will take place in Edinburg on Friday.

The Abbott camp has made clear that the governor is only interested in a single one-on-one meeting as he seeks a third four-year term.

More:The 2022 Texas midterm elections are Nov. 8. Here's what you need to know

Willie Nelson joins Beto

O’Rourke will join fellow Texan, and country music icon, Willie Nelson on Sunday for a Vote ‘Em Out rally in Austin.

Nelson will speak, perform and join the gubernatorial candidate on stage.

Nelson doesn't shy away from taking a stand when needed, and in 2018, he had ties to El Paso with his support of O'Rourke. Much bigger than a concert, nearly 55,000 people crammed into the Auditorium Shores in Austin in September for the Turn Out For Texas rally.

O'Rourke joined Nelson to sing "On the Road Again," and the crooner debuted a new song to mark the occasion, "Vote 'Em Out."

During his 2020 presidential run, O'Rourke, a former punk rocker, received $2,800 from Nelson, as well as $1,850 from Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and $2,800 from Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley.

'Drive for Texas' campaign tour

Stops on the "Drive for Texas" included Midland, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, Wichita Falls, San Angelo, Corpus Christi and Galveston. The itinerary also included small towns such as Falfurrias, Lampasas, Quanah, Snyder and Junction.

The O'Rourke campaign traveled to more than 65 Texas counties in the span of 49 days hoping close in on Abbott's lead in the polls. O'Rourke kicked off the tour July 19 in his hometown of El Paso.

More:Beto O'Rourke opens tour across Texas by hearing voter concerns in Pecos, Midland

Beto on immigration and the border

At the opening night for the "Drive for Texas" tour in Midland, O'Rourke said Abbott is more focused on spreading misinformation about border security rather than helping to shape immigration solutions.

At a stop in Eagle Pass, he said he would advocate for "a safe, legal, orderly" immigration system and would call for Texas-based solutions to a federal problem.

Border counties critical in Texas governor race

The Texas borderland is sometimes described as encompassing the area within 62 miles of the international boundary, but the 14 counties alone that touch the U.S.-Mexico border are home to nearly 1.4 million registered voters, or 8% of 17.1 million registered voters statewide, according to the Texas secretary of state.

The border counties include populous urban areas that lean heavily Democratic, but where voters are increasingly casting votes for Republicans, and sparsely populated farm and ranch communities that are much more likely to vote Republican in statewide and national races.

In 2018 when O'Rourke ran against Cruz, O’Rourke won 10 of the border counties, including the most populous: Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, Maverick and El Paso. He also won four rural border counties with populations under 50,000.

Abbott took seven counties at the U.S.-Mexico border in his second bid for governor that same year, all rural. In three of those counties, voters cast ballots for Abbott for governor and for O'Rourke for U.S. Senate, showing their willingness to split tickets and vote for a candidate or an issue rather than a party.

More:Hitting towns in the borderlands, Beto campaign for governor goes beyond immigration

Beto challenges heckler who laughs about Uvalde shooting

During his campaign trip, O’Rourke snapped back at a heckler who was laughing while the candidate was discussing the school shooting in Uvalde.

As O'Rourke discussed how easy it was for the suspected shooter to obtain an assault-style rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a person in a crowded town hall meeting in Mineral Wells began laughing loudly.

Without hesitation, O'Rourke said, “It may be funny to you, motherf—er,” he said, “but it’s not funny to me.”

Beto confronts Gov. Greg Abbott during Uvalde school shooting update

The Texas gubernatorial candidate interrupted a news conference held by Abbott about the Uvalde school shooting, calling the tragedy “totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”

A mix of boos and cheers rose up from the crowd as O'Rourke briefly spoke, then was escorted from the room.

Cruz, standing behind Abbott, shook his head and said, “sit down!” while one woman in the crowd chanted, “Let him speak.”

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin yelled that O'Rourke was a “sick son of a bitch.”

Family always called him Beto

O'Rourke's given name is Robert Francis O'Rourke, but he started going by the nickname Beto when he was a child.

Cruz accused O'Rourke of changing his name to appeal to voters in the first campaign ad of the race, an attack that earned coverage from national news outlets and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Beto O'Rourke's net worth

O'Rourke had an estimated net worth of $6.67 million in 2018, according to records analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics.

An analysis of his financial disclosures during the 2018 Senate campaign indicated he and his wife had assets ranging from $3.5 million to over $16 million. Their liabilities — largely from real estate holdings — total between $1.3 million and $5.7 million.

Beto O'Rourke's DUI charge from 1998

When O'Rourke first ran for public office in 2005, the incumbent city representative he was challenging accused O'Rourke of being arrested for burglary and DUI. The charges came up again when O'Rourke challenged U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes to represent El Paso in Congress.

O'Rourke has said that he "owned up" to those charges since his run for El Paso City Council. He described the burglary charge, which was later dropped, as "horsing around" with friends at the University of Texas at El Paso.

O'Rourke has acknowledged that the more serious charge came in 1998 when the then-26-year-old was arrested on a drunken-driving charge. The charge was dismissed in 1999 after he completed a court-recommended DWI program.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas midterm elections: Meet Texas governor candidate Beto O'Rourke