Blake Farenthold | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Texas's 27th district | |
In office January 3, 2011 –April 6, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Solomon Ortiz |
Succeeded by | Michael Cloud |
Personal details | |
Born | Randolph Blake Farenthold December 12,1961 Corpus Christi,Texas,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Debbie Farenthold |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Texas at Austin (BS) St. Mary's University,Texas (JD) |
Randolph Blake Farenthold (born December 12,1961) is an American politician and lobbyist. [1] [2] A member of the Republican Party,Farenthold co-hosted a conservative talk-radio program before beginning a career in politics. Farenthold served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 27th congressional district from 2011 until his resignation in April 2018 in the wake of reports he used public funds to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit and had created an intensely hostile work environment for women in his congressional office. [3] [4] [5] [6] Upon resigning,Farenthold pledged to reimburse the US$84,000 in public money that he used to settle the lawsuit. He later reneged on his pledge to repay. [2] [7]
Farenthold was born and raised in Corpus Christi,Texas,the son of Mary Sue (née Ogg;1939–2014) and George Randolph "Randy" Farenthold (1939–1972). His wealthy paternal grandfather,George Edward Farenthold (1915–2000),was a Belgian immigrant descended from an aristocratic industrialist family,and worked in the oil industry in Texas. [8] Blake is the former step-grandson of Frances Farenthold,who married and divorced his grandfather,George Farenthold. [8]
Farenthold attended Incarnate Word Academy and the University of Texas at Austin where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in radio,television,and film. He received a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, [9] and was admitted to the Texas Bar (Bar# 06814500).
Farenthold was a radio DJ in college. Before running for office,he was a right-wing talk radio host in Corpus Christi (co-hosting Lago in the Morning) and spent seven years at the Kleberg Law Firm,where his stepfather,Hayden Head Sr.,was a partner. [10]
Farenthold defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz by 799 votes on election night. [11] Ortiz asked for a manual recount. On Monday, November 22, Ortiz conceded the race to Farenthold. Farenthold's final margin of victory over Ortiz was 47.85 to 47.1 percent. [12] His margin of victory was 799 votes. [13] Ortiz had represented the district since its creation in 1982.
Redistricting after the 2010 census made Farenthold's district significantly more Republican. His old district had been 70 percent Latino, but the new map shifted most of the Latino areas to the newly created 34th district. To make up for the loss in population, his district was shifted well to the north and east, absorbing some heavily Republican territory near Houston and Austin.
He defeated Democratic nominee Rose Meza Harrison 57-39%. [14]
Farenthold was not challenged in the Republican primary. In the general election, he defeated Democrat Wesley Reed by a margin of 83,342 to 44,152 (63.6 to 33.7%). [15]
Farenthold won renomination in the March 1 Republican primary with 42,872 votes (56%) to 33,699 (44%) for his challenger, Gregg Patrick Deeb (born circa 1964) of Corpus Christi, who formerly lived in South Carolina. [16] In the general election held on November 8, Farenthold defeated the Democrat Raul "Roy" Barrera, who had won his party nomination on March 1 with 16,140 votes (50.3%) over two opponents. [17] Farenthold polled 142,251 votes (61.7%) to Barrera's 88,329 (38.3%). [18]
Farenthold joined the Republican Study Committee, as well as the Tea Party Caucus. Since redistricting in 2011, his district ran along the middle Texas Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi to Bay City and inland to Luling, and includes Aransas, Calhoun, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, and parts of Bastrop, Caldwell, and Gonzales Counties.
Having used the Internet since the mid-1980s, [19] Farenthold received praise from the online privacy community when he introduced bipartisan legislation that would prevent states from forcing companies to weaken encryption for law enforcement purposes. [20] However, Farenthold voted to repeal an FCC Internet privacy rule that would have prohibited Internet service providers from selling the browsing history of their customers without customers' consent. [21]
Farenthold endorsed Trump in the 2016 presidential race. [22] After the Donald Trump and Billy Bush recording was made public, Farenthold was asked what it would take for him to rescind his endorsement, and whether Trump saying "I really like raping women" would be sufficient, Farenthold said that he "would have to consider it." [22] Farenthold later apologized, saying "I do not, and have not ever condoned rape or violence against women. That is not the kind of man I believe Donald Trump to be." [22]
He supported Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying "we must be cautious who we allow into our country." [23]
In January 2017, Farenthold voted in favor of gutting the powers of the Office of Congressional Ethics, supporting a measure that would remove the office's independence by placing it under the jurisdiction of the Republican-led House Ethics Committee. Following a backlash, the decision was reversed. [24]
On May 4, 2017, Farenthold voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act. [25] [26] In a radio interview in July 2017, he said it was "absolutely repugnant" that the Affordable Care Act had not been repealed yet. In particular, he criticized "some female senators from the Northeast," and stated "if it was a guy from south Texas, I might ask him to step outside and settle this Aaron Burr-style." [27] [28]
In a May 2017 appearance on CNN, Farenthold publicly doubted the Russian hack of Democratic Party servers and instead promoted a debunked conspiracy theory that the hack was an "inside job." When pressed by journalist John Berman, Farenthold defended his statement by saying that there were "Things circulating on the internet." Farenthold's claim contradicted testimony from former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan and the conclusions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and CIA. [29] [30] [31] Farenholdt's statement was criticized by the editorial board of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times , who called it "Farenthold's latest new low" and said "Farenthold's antics are becoming increasingly cartoonish." [32]
In 2014, Farenthold was sued by a former staffer, Lauren Greene, who accused the congressman of gender discrimination, saying that he created a hostile work environment and improperly fired her after she complained. [33] [34] Greene said another Farenthold aide told her the lawmaker said he had "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" about Greene. She also claimed that Farenthold "regularly drank to excess" and told her in February 2014 that he was "estranged from his wife and had not had sex with her in years." [3]
When she complained about comments Farenthold and a male staffer made to her, Greene said the congressman improperly fired her. The sexual harassment lawsuit was settled out of court in November 2015 on confidential terms. [35] [36] In December 2017, it was reported that the settlement, for $84,000, was made with taxpayer money. [3] [37]
In December 2017, Michael Rekola, a former senior aide and communications director to Farenthold, alleged that the congressman was verbally abusive and sexually demeaning, and described his congressional office as an intensely hostile environment with Farenthold often making comments about women's physical features, including their breasts or behinds. [5] Past co-workers and relatives have corroborated Rekola's story, some having first-hand accounts of Farenthold subjecting his staff "to a stream of angry behavior... screaming fits of rage, slamming fists on desks and castigating aides", and regularly using profane slurs to describe those who worked in his office. [6] Farenthold denied using sexual insults, but admitted to using vulgar language, claiming that it was "in jest". [38]
Farenthold announced on December 14, 2017, that he would retire and not seek reelection to his seat in 2018. [39] [40]
On April 6, 2018, he suddenly resigned from office. [41]
On April 24, 2018, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered an emergency special election for the district. Abbott asked Farenthold to pay the cost for the special election; [42] Farenthold declined to do so. [43] The June 30, 2018 special election to replace Farenthold was won by fellow Republican Michael Cloud. [44]
Farenthold rejected calls for him to repay the public funds used to settle the sexual harassment case against him. [45] [46]
After resigning from Congress, Farenthold announced on May 14, 2018 that he would be serving as the legislative liaison for the Calhoun Port Authority at a salary of $160,000.10. [47] Farenthold's appointment was questioned because of the reasons for the resignation and because "Revolving Door" laws generally prohibit former representatives from immediately lobbying their recent colleagues. [48] [49] Farenthold resigned as lobbyist for the port authority in January 2019. [50] In May 2019 the board member who directed port staff to hire Farenthold as a lobbyist was defeated for reelection. [51]
Farenthold lives with his wife Debbie and his two daughters, Morgan and Amanda,? in Corpus Christi. He is an Episcopalian. [52]
In 1972, when Farenthold was ten years old, his father disappeared and was later found dead, his body having washed ashore after being weighted down with a cement block and deposited in Corpus Christi Bay. [53] The gangland-style murder was the work of enemies of the elder Farenthold, who feared he would testify against a group of con artists who had tried to defraud him out of $100,000. [8]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Blake Farenthold | 50,954 | 47.85 | |
Democratic | Solomon Ortiz (incumbent) | 50,155 | 47.10 | |
Libertarian | Ed Mishou | 5,372 | 5.04 | |
Total votes | 106,599 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Blake Farenthold (incumbent) | 120,684 | 56.75 | |
Democratic | Rose Meza Harrison | 83,395 | 39.22 | |
Independent | Bret Baldwin | 5,354 | 2.52 | |
Libertarian | Corrie Byrd | 3,218 | 1.51 | |
Total votes | 212,651 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Blake Farenthold (incumbent) | 83,342 | 63.60 | |
Democratic | Wesley Reed | 44,152 | 33.69 | |
Libertarian | Roxanne Simonson | 3,553 | 2.71 | |
Total votes | 131,047 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Blake Farenthold (incumbent) | 142,251 | 61.69 | |
Democratic | Wesley Reed | 88,329 | 38.31 | |
Total votes | 230,580 | 100 |
Solomon Porfirio Ortiz is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 27th congressional district, based in Corpus Christi, serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. In 2010, Ortiz was narrowly defeated by Republican challenger Blake Farenthold. Ortiz's son, Solomon Ortiz, Jr., is a former state representative.
Texas's 27th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers the coastal bend of Texas' Gulf Coast consisting of Corpus Christi and Victoria up to Bastrop County near Austin. Its current representative is Republican Michael Cloud. Cloud was elected to the district in a special election on June 30, 2018, to replace former Republican representative Blake Farenthold, who had resigned on April 6.
Mary Frances Tarlton "Sissy" Farenthold was an American politician, attorney, activist, and educator. She was best known for her two campaigns for governor of Texas in 1972 and 1974, and for being placed in nomination for vice president of the United States, finishing second at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. She was elected as the first chair of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1973.
The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019, during the final weeks of Barack Obama's presidency and the first two years of Donald Trump's first presidency. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census.
Colin Zachary Allred is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, and former professional football player serving as the U.S. representative from Texas's 32nd congressional district since 2019. The district includes the northeastern corner of Dallas, as well as many of its northeastern suburbs, such as Garland, Richardson, Sachse, Wylie, and the Park Cities.
KKTX is a commercial AM radio station in Corpus Christi, Texas. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia The studios and offices on Old Brownsville Road near the Corpus Christi International Airport.
The Port of Port Lavaca – Point Comfort, or simply the Port of Port Lavaca, is a seaport along the shores of Matagorda Bay, Texas. It includes terminals at both Port Lavaca and Point Comfort, Texas. These terminals are connected to the Gulf of Mexico through the Matagorda Ship Channel and by rail via the Point Comfort and Northern Railway which connects to the Union Pacific Railroad.
The 2010 U.S. congressional elections in Texas were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.
Rose Meza Harrison is a Democratic politician and Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative in the 27th Congressional District of Texas.
Raul Torres is a Certified Public Accountant in Corpus Christi, Texas, who represented District 33 in the Texas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. The Republican Torres lost his bid for the seat in 2008 but prevailed in the 2010 general election with 52.5 percent of the vote, when his party gained twenty-four seats across the state.
Solomon Ortiz Jr. is a Democratic former member of the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 2006 to 2011. Ortiz is the son of former Congressman Solomon Ortiz, who represented a South Texas district for 28 years before being defeated by Republican Blake Farenthold in 2010. Ortiz Jr. considered challenging Farenthold in 2014. Ortiz currently is Executive Director for the MAP of Texas, a non-profit founded by him and his father. Solomon is also a Partner in Ortiz Holdings, a business development firm based in Texas, and has previously worked as a public school teacher and for the Fighting to Rid Gangs in America Foundation.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas, one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on March 1.
Vicente Gonzalez Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the United States representative for Texas's 34th congressional district since 2023 and served as the representative for Texas's 15th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 2018, along with other elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives in additional states. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz secured a second term, defeating Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke. The primary for all parties was held on March 6, 2018, making it the first primary of the 2018 season. As Cruz and O'Rourke both won majorities in their primaries, they did not participate in the May 22 runoff primary that was held for some nominations in Texas.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Voters elected the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas, one from each of the state's 36 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including the gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on March 6 and the run-offs were held on May 22.
The 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals saw a heightened period of allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault, and resulted in the subsequent firings and resignations of American politicians. Some of the allegations are linked to the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases starting in October 2017 amid the wider MeToo movement.
A special election for Texas's 27th congressional district was held on June 30, 2018, following the resignation of Rep. Blake Farenthold. Republican Michael Cloud won with about 54.7% of the vote, crossing the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Running again against Eric Holguin in the general election, he won a full term.
Michael Jonathan Cloud is an American politician representing Texas's 27th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Ronald Jack Wright was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district from 2019 until his death from COVID-19 in 2021. He was a member of the Republican Party.
'I will say this on the record: I have been advised by my attorneys not to repay that,' Farenthold told [ABC News]. 'That's why it hasn't been repaid.'