El Paso lawmakers Beto O'Rourke and Will Hurd win award for bipartisan road trip

Madlin Mekelburg | El Paso Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Congressmen explain trip U.S. Reps. Beto O'Rourke and Will Hurd explain why they are driving to Washington D.C.

AUSTIN — El Paso Congressmen Beto O'Rourke and Will Hurd were awarded the Prize for Civility in Public Life from Allegheny College on Tuesday, for a cross country road trip the pair took last year and dubbed the "bipartisan road trip."

After flights from Texas to Washington, D.C., were canceled because of bad weather, O'Rourke and Hurd decided to rent a car and drive the 1,600 miles from San Antonio to the nation's capitol to cast votes on pending legislation.

More: Reps. O'Rourke, Hurd livestream road trip

They broadcast their conversations from the road using Facebook's live video feature, prompting more than a dozen of their colleagues in Congress to pick up the phone and give them a call, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

They also caught the eye of Facebook's chief executive officer.

"This is a great use of Facebook Live for civic engagement," Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a comment on the video. "Good luck making it to DC on time!"

Allegheny College has awarded the Prize for Civility in Public Life annually since 2011, each year selecting two public figures "who have demonstrated steadfast civility throughout their career or have shown authentic, courageous civility at an important moment in time."

In 2016, the award went to Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. John McCain for demonstrating civility during the presidential election.

Last year, it was awarded to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the family of Justice Antonin Scalia in honor of “a friendship grounded in mutual respect for the intellectual integrity and love of country that each brought to service on the Court.”

On the road, O'Rourke, a Democrat, and Hurd, a Republican, discussed everything from music and their families to political issues like foreign policy and whether a wall should be constructed on the border between the United States and Mexico.

More: 20 best moments from O'Rourke & Hurd's road trip

Allegheny College President James H. Mullen, Jr. presented both lawmakers with the award at the National Press Club on Tuesday morning.

“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," Mullen said in a statement.

After receiving the award, O'Rourke attacked President Donald Trump's actions at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying they warrant impeachment. It was the second time the Democrat has said he would support such action against the president.

Trump has come under fire from members of both political parties for his comments at a summit with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday. During a press conference after their meeting, Trump sided with the Russian leader when he said that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

"Standing on stage in another country with the leader of another country who wants to and has sought to undermine this country, and to side with him over the United States — if I were asked to vote on this I would vote to impeach the president," O'Rourke said to reporters in Washington D.C.

Trump on Tuesday appeared to walk back the comments he made at the summit, stating that he accepts the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election. He said he has "full faith and support for America's intelligence agencies," but added that he suspected other parties could have been involved in election interference as well.

O'Rourke has represented El Paso in Congress since 2012, but he is not seeking re-election. Instead, the Democrat is challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for his seat.

The Democrat on Tuesday praised Hurd's condemnation of the president's remarks and criticized his opponent Cruz for not taking a strong enough position on the issue. Cruz told CNN on Monday, "I think we need to be acting vigorously to prevent Russian aggression. And I think it's a mistake to be apologizing for Vladimir Putin."

On Tuesday, Cruz told reporters that Trump's press conference with Putin was "a mistake," but added that Democrats' comments calling the U.S. president's comments treasonous are overblown.

Cruz said O'Rourke is only calling on impeaching Trump to raise more money from the "far-Left."

"This partisan extremism may resonate great in Hollywood, but it doesn't reflect the views of the vast majority of Texans," he wrote, adding the hashtag, "#RecklessAndOutOfTouch."

Hurd said he was shocked by Trump's comments and offered a criticism of Russia and its leader on Twitter, writing, "To all our allies: there are still many of us in Congress that know Russia is not just an adversary to the United States but to freedom loving people everywhere."

"As a former CIA officer and a Congressman on the House Intelligence Committee, I can affirmatively say there is nothing about agreeing with a thug like Putin that puts America First," he wrote. "The President is wrong. Russia interfered in the 2016 election and seeks to undermine our democracy."

This marks the second time O'Rourke has said he would support impeaching Trump. In April, the Democrat said he would vote in favor of articles of impeachment if he were elected to the Senate.

"I've see an attempt, no matter how ham-handed, to collude with a foreign government in our national election," O'Rourke said at the time. "I've seen an effort to obstruct justice in the investigation of what happened in the 2016 election."

More: Supreme Court justices weigh in on Antonin Scalia's death

After receiving the award Tuesday, Hurd and O'Rourke both gave brief remarks.

Hurd discussed what he learned about O'Rourke during the trip, including his taste in music and his love for donuts. More importantly, he said he learned that, "way more unites us as a country than divides us."

"It's pretty wild that millions of people actually tuned in and watched two guys driving a car," Hurd said on Tuesday. "But for those 36 hours — 36-hour trip, 31 hours in the car and 29 hours live streamed — we actually weren't a Republican and a Democrat. We were just two dudes trying to get to work."

During his speech, O'Rourke pointed to Trump's remarks as evidence that there is a growing need for civility and bipartisanship.

"Given the events that occurred yesterday in Helsinki, Finland, if we ever need a time where we are going to put this country ahead of party, ahead of the next election, ahead of next year, it is right now," O'Rourke said.

More: Republicans blast Trump meeting with Putin as 'shameful' and 'sign of weakness'

Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge also spoke at Tuesday's event and applauded Hurd's response to Trump's comments, adding that they should inspire people to put country before party.

Hurd offered a pointed critique of Trump's comments on Twitter and in media interviews, arguing that "the President is wrong."

"I've seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people in my career, and I never thought the U.S. president would be one of them," Hurd said in an interview on CNN.

I've seen Russian intelligence manipulate many people over my professional career and I never would have thought that the US President would become one of the ones getting played by old KGB hands. — Rep. Will Hurd (@HurdOnTheHill) July 16, 2018

O'Rourke, Hurd facing general election fights

Both O'Rourke and Hurd are facing tough general elections in November.

O'Rourke, who has represented El Paso in Congress since 2012, is leaving his seat to run for the Senate against Cruz.

He has managed to turn heads with his fundraising numbers and his campaign has generated enthusiasm among Democrats, who are hoping he will become the first from the party elected statewide in Texas since 1994.

While political experts say O'Rourke's chances of victory in November are slim, the Democrat has been outraising Cruz for nearly every quarter of the campaign. Between April and June of this year, he raised more than $10.4 million for the race, compared with Cruz's $4 million.

More: Beto O'Rourke raises record $10.4 million against Ted Cruz in Texas' Senate race

Hurd was elected in 2014 to represent one of the largest congressional district in the country, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso along the U.S.-Mexico border, covering 29 Texas counties.

The seat is considered one of the most competitive nationwide, as it has changed hands five times since it was created in 1967.

After a crowded Democratic primary election lead to a runoff, voters selected Gina Ortiz Jones to challenge Hurd in November.

Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, outraised Hurd during the latest fundraising period. She raised more than $1.2 million between April and June, while Hurd raised $683,738.

More: 2018 Texas primary runoff election: Gina Ortiz Jones will face Will Hurd for District 23

Madlin Mekelburg is a reporter with the USA Today Network Austin Bureau; she may be reached at 512-479-6606; mmekelburg@elpasotimes.com; @madlinbmek on Twitter.