O’Rourke, Hurd win civility award
WASHINGTON — It was an unlikely “bromance” between two Texas congressmen, one a Republican, the other a Democrat.
Bound together by flight delays and cancellations from snowy weather up north, they decided to rent a car from San Antonio and drive together to Washington, D.C.
The 1,600-mile road trip in March 2017, much of it chronicled on Facebook Live, put U.S. Reps. Beto O’Rourke (the Democrat) and Will Hurd (the Republican) into the annals of political bipartisanship.
On Tuesday, they are being awarded the 2018 Prize for Civility in Public Life at the National Press Club. They are the first Texans to ever receive the award, which was created in 2011 to honor two public figures, one liberal and one conservative, who argue passionately but with civility for their beliefs.
Organizers said O’Rourke and Hurd were picked not only for their road trip but also for their ability to work collaboratively on important legislation since then.
“Their spontaneous demonstration of civility restored hope for many who have forgotten that political adversaries can discuss difficult issues with respect and civility, and that partisan jousting does not require demonization — and even can be engaged with joy,” said Allegheny College President James H. Mullen, Jr., who is presenting the awards.
Previous winners of the Prize for Civility in Public Life include U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. John McCain and Rep. John Lewis.