Beto O'Rourke Net Worth

What is Beto O'Rourke's net worth?

Beto O'Rourke is an American politician and businessman who has a net worth of $9 million. According to his most recent Congressional wealth disclosure, Beto owns at least $3 million worth of real estate and at least $6 million worth of other investments.

Robert "Beto" O'Rourke is an American politician known for his bold, grassroots-driven campaigns and progressive vision. After a stint as a musician during college, he returned to El Paso to co-found a web design firm and a local news outlet. He entered politics in 2005, winning a seat on the El Paso City Council and briefly serving as mayor pro tempore.

In 2012, O'Rourke was elected to represent Texas's 16th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served three terms through 2019. In 2018, he launched a nationally watched U.S. Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. O'Rourke gained attention for visiting all 254 counties in Texas, refusing PAC money, and inspiring a wave of small-dollar donations. He lost the race narrowly, by about 2.5 percentage points, but set a record for the most votes ever cast for a Democrat in Texas.

He briefly ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, suspending his campaign in November 2019. In 2022, he ran for governor of Texas and was defeated by Greg Abbott. O'Rourke continues to engage in grassroots organizing and political activism and has signaled openness to future campaigns.

Is Beto's wife a billionaire heiress?

Beto O'Rourke has been married to Anne Sanders since 2005. Together they have three children. In an October 2018 profile of Beto, the New York Times referred to his father-in-law, William Sanders, as a "billionaire real estate developer". Follow-up articles by other less-credible news sites somehow magically estimated that William had a net worth of $20 billion. That would be news to us. We do not currently rank William Sanders on Celebrity Net Worth, but if we did, he would certainly not be a billionaire.

So, how rich is Beto O'Rourke's "billionaire" father-in-law, William Sanders?

In 1966, William Sanders founded a company called International Development Corp. In 1968, he relocated the company to Chicago and renamed it LaSalle Partners. Over time, the company morphed into what is known today as Jones Lang LaSalle. Sanders sold his stake in the firm in the 1980s for $65 million. That's the same as roughly $165 million today after adjusting for inflation.

Several years after selling his stake, Sanders created a new company called Security Capital Group, headquartered in Santa Fe. The Real Estate Investment Trust eventually went public and by 2000 had an estimated $25 billion in assets under management. Sanders sold this company to GE Capital in 2002 for $4 billion in cash plus the assumption of $1.4 billion in debt. His personal cut of the sale was $250 million. Not ready to hang up his spurs, in 2012, a company called Brookfield Asset Management bought 81% of a company Sanders partly owned called Verde. The sale valued Verde at nearly $900 million, but Sanders' cut of the deal was $22 million.

Clearly, he has been extremely successful, but the numbers don't quite add up to billionaire status. In late 2018, Forbes pegged William Sanders' net worth at $500 million. Plenty of money to bankroll his son-in-law's Presidential dreams, but not enough to make his daughter a billionaire heiress. That's especially true when you consider Amy has a living mother and four siblings!

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Early Life and Education

Beto O'Rourke was born Robert Francis O'Rourke to parents Melissa Martha and Patrick Francis O'Rourke. He grew up in El Paso, Texas, where his father served as the County Commissioner. O'Rourke attended a private boarding school in Virginia called Woodberry Forest School, where he played on the varsity soccer team.

After graduating from high school, O'Rourke attended Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in English Literature. During his time at Columbia, O'Rourke played bass guitar in a punk rock band called Foss, which gained a small following in the New York City music scene.

Early Career and Family Life

After graduating from Columbia in 1995, O'Rourke moved back to his hometown of El Paso, where he worked as a proofreader for a publishing company and later started a technology business called Stanton Street Technology Group. In 2005, he married his wife, Amy Hoover Sanders, a fellow El Pasoan and the daughter of real estate mogul William Sanders. They have three children together.

Political Career

O'Rourke first entered politics in 2005 when he was elected to the El Paso City Council. During his six years on the council, O'Rourke focused on revitalizing the downtown area, promoting green energy, and supporting the arts. In 2011, he decided not to run for reelection to the council and instead ran for Congress.

Congress

In 2012, O'Rourke ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas's 16th congressional district, which includes El Paso and several surrounding counties. He ran as a Democrat against incumbent Representative Silvestre Reyes in the primary and won with the help of grassroots organizing and a strong social media presence. In the general election, O'Rourke faced Republican Barbara Carrasco and won with over 65% of the vote.

During his time in Congress, O'Rourke focused on issues such as immigration reform, veterans' healthcare, and gun control. He also gained national attention for his efforts to legalize marijuana and for his use of social media to engage with his constituents. In 2018, O'Rourke decided to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz.

Senate Campaign

O'Rourke's Senate campaign gained national attention for his charismatic personality, progressive platform, and impressive fundraising. He traveled to all 254 counties in Texas, holding town hall meetings and rallies and using social media to connect with voters. His campaign focused on issues such as healthcare, immigration reform, and gun control.

Despite O'Rourke's strong showing, he ultimately lost the election to Cruz by a margin of 2.6%. However, his campaign energized young voters and progressives in Texas and across the country, and he became a rising star in the Democratic Party.

(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Presidential Campaign

In March 2019, O'Rourke announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. His campaign focused on issues such as immigration reform, healthcare, and climate change. However, O'Rourke struggled to gain traction in the crowded field of Democratic candidates and ultimately dropped out of the race in November 2019.

2022 Gubernatorial Campaign

In 2022, Beto mounted a campaign for governor of Texas. He was ultimately defeated by the incumbent Greg Abbot, who earned 55% of the vote.

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