The College of Charleston will host Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, former U.S. Representative (Texas-16), for a town hall event on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. O’Rourke will meet with faculty, staff, students and the community as part of the College of Charleston’s “Bully Pulpit Series.”

The event will take place in the Stern Center Garden from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. The Stern Center Garden is located behind the Stern Student Center at 71 George St. and can be accessed at either approximately 42 Coming St. or 15 Glebe St. (The rain location is the Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center Auditorium, room 101, at 58 Coming St.)

This event is free to attend and open to the public. Handicapped-accessible seating is available. RSVP here. RSVP is for headcount only. This is not a ticketed event.

After graduating from Columbia University with his bachelor’s degree, O’Rourke co-founded Stanton Street Technology Group, a web design company based in El Paso. In 2005, O’Rourke was elected as a councilman representing the 8th District on the El Paso City Council, defeating the incumbent. In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as Texas’ 16th District, and won re-election in 2014 and 2016.

The mission of the Bully Pulpit Series is to encourage and facilitate political participation throughout the College of Charleston community by providing a platform for dialogue with our nation’s leaders. At its core, the series engages today’s youth by meeting students where they are – in the classroom, outside their residence halls and through their social networks – to create curious, informed and engaged individuals who are ready and able to engender political and social change.

As an effort of the College of Charleston Department of Communication and Department of Political Science, the Bully Pulpit Series gives young voters the opportunity to become involved in the political process as well as the issues that affect their communities. Originally created in 2008 to highlight the communication powers of the political pulpit, the mission of the series has expanded as a result of increased student and community interest and engagement.