Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (born September 26, 1972) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Rourke was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, and is the Democratic nominee for the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election.