Blake Farenthold
Blake Farenthold | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2016 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives 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. |
| Died | June 20, 2025 (aged 63) Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Debbie Farenthold |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BS) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) |
Randolph Blake Farenthold (December 12, 1961 – June 20, 2025) was 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.[2][7]
Early life and education
[edit]Farenthold was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and grew up there, 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 was the onetime stepgrandson 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).
Early career
[edit]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]
U.S. House of Representatives
[edit]Elections
[edit]- 2010
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.
- 2012
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]
- 2014
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]
- 2016
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 had 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 included Aransas, Calhoun, Jackson, Lavaca, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, Wharton, and parts of Bastrop, Caldwell, and Gonzales Counties.
Political positions
[edit]Internet
[edit]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]
Donald Trump
[edit]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]
Ethics
[edit]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]
Health care
[edit]On May 4, 2017, Farenthold voted to repeal the