Beto O’Rourke To Challenge Reyes For Congressional Seat
Former El Paso city Representative Beto O’Rourke has confirmed to ABC-7 that he is running for Congress.
O’Rourke will challenge longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the March 2012 Democratic primary.
O’Rourke, 38, said he filed the necessary paperwork late last week and expects to make a formal announcement within the next week or two.
In a statement, he said, “I’m running for Congress because it’s time that we had strong, independent leadership in Washington, D.C.”
O’Rourke, who did not seek re-election to El Paso’s District 8 council seat in 2011, has launched a website and created a Facebook page.
“This is really a bare-bones, grassroots operation at this point,” he told ABC-7.
Reyes, 66, is a former Border Patrol sector chief for El Paso and McAllen.
He was elected to represent the 16th District of Texas in 1996 and is currently a member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee.
In a statement to ABC-7, Reyes said he stands by his record in Washington.
“During my time in office,” he said, “I have worked tirelessly to foster economic growth, strengthen education, and protect vital programs and services that are important to El Paso.”
