The Texas senate race is one of the most contentious in this year’s midterm elections. On one side, there’s Ted Cruz, the Republican incumbent. On the other, there’s Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic El Paso Congressman with a connection to the Latino community in Texas. Now, O’Rourke is tapping into his Spanish-speaking skills to denounce supporters of the wall.
On Sunday, a video surfaced on Twitter of O’Rourke giving a speech in Edinburg, Texas, in which he said people who want the construction of the border wall are “pendejos.” Right after, the crowd went wild. “If we allow these walls to be built, if we allow those kids to go un-reunited with their parents,” O’Rourke said, “they will be asking themselves ‘Who were those pendejos?’”
And it’s not the only time O’Rourke went viral this weekend. His opponent actually helped him out on that front. On Friday, Cruz tweeted “In Beto O’Rourke’s own words” when he shared a video of the Democratic representative denouncing the police officer who shot a Black man in his own apartment after she reportedly mistook the property for hers. “How can it be that in this day and age, in this very year, in this community, that a young man, African American, in his own apartment is killed by a white police officer?” O’Rourke asked in the video. “How can we continue to lose the lives of unarmed Black men in the United States of America at the hands of white police officers?”
While Cruz aimed to discredit O’Rourke, Democratic supporters said he did quite the opposite, as the video reads like an actual ad for O’Rourke progressive message. Rumors have emerged that Cruz is purposely trying to throw the race so that O’Rourke can’t run for president in 2020. Others have taken to mocking the senator for his weak tactics.
O’Rourke has become a major figure in this year’s elections, and his more moderate views have certainly helped him pull ahead with certain segments of the Latino community. Still, O’Rourke’s history with gentrification during his tenure as a member of El Paso’s City Council might deter some voters from voting for him. The two faced off in their first debate on Friday, and will meet again on September 30 for round two.