Beto O'Rourke will be paid $7,500 to teach course at Texas State; says he's also writing book on democracy
Records obtained by a San Antonio TV station, KSAT-TV, shed some light on the former El Paso congressman's future
Former El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke will teach a class on Texas politics next semester at Texas State University.(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
By Tom Benning
12:00 PM on Dec 9, 2020 CST
WASHINGTON – Former El Paso Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a one-time Democratic White House hopeful, will be paid $7,500 to teach a course next semester at Texas State University, according to records obtained by a San Antonio television station.
O'Rourke's future has been the source of much speculation, with the teaching gig offering a tangible enough clue that it generated widespread attention when announced in October.
The ex-congressman, who nearly upset Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, told the university that he would like to teach a course on Texas politics that would explore, in part, "what the future might hold for what is now clearly the biggest swing state in the Union."
His goal was outlined in an email obtained by KSAT-TV (Channel 12), which filed an open records request for emails and other documents related to O'Rourke's hiring.
"My thought is to engage students on these topics while also sharing anecdotes and stories from the campaign trail that might illustrate trends and truths found in the story of Texas politics," the El Pasoan wrote in the email.
O'Rourke – a prolific writer who often chronicled his political travels on social media – also told the university that he's "writing a book on democracy in the U.S. through the lens of Texas" and that the "research and writing … will, I hope, add to the value of this course."
Texas State, which is in San Marcos, told KSAT-TV that "our goal at Texas State is to provide our students with a well-rounded academic experience."
"This is an opportunity for our students to learn about current Texas politics from someone who has recent experience at the local, state and national level," the university said. "Mr. O'Rourke brings first-hand knowledge to the classroom as a former presidential and senate candidate, a U.S. Representative, and a member of the El Paso City Council."
The course, which will be limited to 25 students, will be taught over Zoom due to the COVID-19 outbreak. If there was an opportunity for the class to meet up in person, perhaps outside, if the pandemic abated, O'Rourke asked that the university assist with travel costs, the records showed.
Tom Benning. Tom covers the intersection of business and government in Washington. He came to D.C. in 2016 from The News' Austin bureau. He has also previously worked in Dallas, covering everything from City Hall to transportation to former President George W. Bush. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.
tbenning@dallasnews.com @tombenning
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