Dan Patrick

He is the only child of the former Vilma Jean Marshall (1926–2016) and Charles Anthony Goeb (1926–2002), who worked at The Baltimore Sun for thirty-one years as a newspaper vendor, before he retired in 1984.

Patrick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

He is the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Dan Goeb Patrick (born Dannie Scott Goeb; April 4, 1950) is an American radio talk show host, television broadcaster, and politician.

Patrick was born Dannie Scott Goeb in Baltimore on April 4, 1950.

He was raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in East Baltimore.

Patrick started his first radio job in 1968 at the age of 18.

After graduating and embarking on a broadcasting career, he changed his name from "Dannie Scott Goeb" to "Dan Goeb Patrick" – informally in 1977 and legally in 2004 – to honor his wife's family and brother-in-law.

After college, in 1977, he became a television broadcaster at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Patrick later held a similar position at WTTG in Washington, D.C., before he became the lead sportscaster with KHOU-TV in Houston.

As a broadcaster, Patrick was able to get attention through various stunts, such as painting himself blue in support for the Houston Oilers and wearing a large cowboy hat.

Patrick left his job at KHOU in the mid-1980s after failing to reach an agreement with Belo Corporation (which bought KHOU-TV in 1984) for a long-term contract.

When the oil boom of the mid 1980s ended, Houston's economy went into decline and fiscally damaged Patrick's sports bar chain.

He became the second most popular TV personality in Houston by 1983, as well as one of the most well-known, though surveys also found that he was one of the most disliked.

Patrick's public speaking skills caused him to be nicknamed "the Silver-tongued Devil."

In November 1983, Patrick and several investors opened one of the first sports bars in the U.S., which they named Dan and Nick's Sportsmarket.

The bar did well for a time, due to "the strength of Patrick's personality" and an oil boom in Houston at the time, and they eventually took ownership of five sports bars in the city.

In 1986, after the sports bars failed, Patrick filed for personal bankruptcy and in October 1992, discharged several hundred thousand dollars of debt obligation.

Patrick, who stated it took him 10 years for him and his family "to regain financial equilibrium," has frequently and openly discussed the ordeal and stated how it shaped him as an individual and conservative.

He began by buying a four-hour timeslot at AM 700 KSEV (then called KTBT) in the summer of 1987.

He originally was a sports radio host, operating out of his remaining sports bar.

However, he was able to take over the radio station in 1988, and he switched to politics shortly afterward.

He hosted a conservative radio talk show.

The program, Dan Patrick & Friends, was broadcast in the Houston radio market on KSEV and in Dallas on AM 1160 KVCE.

Initially he broadcast under the pseudonym Dan Scott as a radio host, later changing to the current name at the request of his employer to avoid confusion of Patrick with another anchor at a competing station with the last name of Scott.

Patrick grew successful and influential through his talk radio career.

He earned high name recognition.

As a talk radio host, Patrick advocated for fiscal conservatism, evangelical Christian values on social issues, and he became a vocal opponent of illegal immigration.

He was also known as a populist.

Patrick's talk radio career was instrumental to his political rise, including his election and influence in the State Senate and his eventual election as lieutenant governor.

One notable decision Patrick made as the owner of a talk radio station was to sign relative unknown Rush Limbaugh for airing on KSEV in 1989 via radio syndication.

Limbaugh's success as a national talk show host helped increase ratings of Patrick's radio station.

Following bankruptcy, Patrick reinvented himself as a conservative talk radio host in the 1990s.

From 2007 to 2015, Patrick was a Republican member of the Texas Senate for the 7th District, which included a small portion of the city of Houston and several Houston-area suburbs located mostly in northwest Harris County.

Patrick defeated three-term incumbent David Dewhurst in the primary runoff for lieutenant governor on May 27, 2014.

He then won the position in the fall general election.

He has been serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas since January 2015, under Governor Greg Abbott.

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Patrick began his career as a radio and television broadcaster.

After forming a chain of sports bars and subsequently going bankrupt, he became a radio host again, this time becoming a conservative commentator.

He was re-elected in 2018 and 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Mike Collier.