The new congressman from the 27th District is Republican Blake Farenthold, who edged out 14-term Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz after a post-election recount gave Farenthold a winning margin of just 799 votes in one of the most surprising GOP wins of 2010. Read More

The new congressman from the 27th District is Republican Blake Farenthold, who edged out 14-term Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz after a post-election recount gave Farenthold a winning margin of just 799 votes in one of the most surprising GOP wins of 2010.

Farenthold was born and raised in Corpus Christi, where his family has farmed for three generations. His father died when Farenthold was 11 years old, and his mother raised him and his younger sister alone. “Growing up with a single mom, we learned independence,” Farenthold told National Journal. His family is known for strong women. His grandfather’s second wife is Sissy Farenthold, a Democratic state legislator and a pioneer of the women’s rights movement who was a serious contender to be George McGovern’s presidential running mate in 1972.

Blake Farenthold studied radio, film, and television at the University of Texas in Austin. After earning his law degree, Farenthold joined his step-grandfather’s law practice, focusing on agricultural law. He became dissatisfied with the legal profession, and in 1995, launched a computer consulting and website design firm. In the late 1990s, he also began dabbling in radio again, appearing as an occasional guest on a morning show to talk about computer-related issues. The job gradually became more regular until Farenthold became a sidekick on the program Lago in the Morning on Corpus Christi’s news radio station KKTX. Farenthold aired many of his conservative views and gained local name recognition.

He began thinking seriously about running for Congress in November 2009 and decided to run to “stand up to the liberal special interests,” as he said on his website. He was especially opposed to the national Democrats’ health care overhaul law, which he deemed a bad case of government intrusion on the private sector. He faced a tough fight for the Republican nomination against Corpus Christi real estate agent James Duerr, who campaigned on a similarly conservative platform. Duerr edged out Farenthold in the March primary by 2 percentage points, but Farenthold prevailed in the April runoff, 51%-49%, after drawing on his personal wealth to outspend Duerr.

In the general election against Ortiz, Farenthold was a decided underdog. Ortiz had built a moderate voting record in a Hispanic-majority district, and he was a senior member of the Armed Services Committee who had shepherded money to local projects. The incumbent also had a considerable fundraising advantage. Farenthold raised $616,000, including about $150,000 from his own pocket, compared with Ortiz’s$1.2 million.

The Republican’s campaign also suffered a credibility deficit after images surfaced of Farenthold wearing pajamas featuring yellow ducks while out for a night on the town with a young woman wearing what appeared to be a sheer nightie. Ortiz touted the photograph, which was widely circulated on the Internet, in his campaign ads as evidence that his opponent could not be taken seriously. But Farenthold’s campaign picked up steam with the support of local tea party activists. On Election Night, the contest was too close to call, and a recount was ordered. Ortiz conceded to Farenthold on Nov. 22.

In the House, the first bill Farenthold introduced would require federal agencies to display receipts and expenditures every two weeks on their websites. He also actively supported legislative riders attached to the fiscal 2011 funding bill, including one to ban funding for Planned Parenthood. His support of the Republican budget has made him one of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s leading targets for defeat in 2012.