Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is happy to let his re-election opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, go viral.
Video of O’Rourke arguing there’s “nothing more American” than NFL players kneeling during the national anthem caught traction online this week after NowThisNews blasted it out on social media. “Beto O’Rourke — the man taking on Ted Cruz — brilliantly explains why NFL players kneeling during the anthem is not disrespectful,” the caption on Twitter read. As of Friday morning, that post had been retweeted 185,000 times.
Celebrities loved it. O’Rourke got retweets from Kevin Bacon, Mark Hamill, and Ricky Gervais. LeBron James called it a “must watch” and “salute[d]” the Texas Democrat for his “candid thoughtful words.” Ellen Degeneres reposted the video and said, “I would like to meet you, Beto O’Rourke.” Even Colin Kaepernick retweeted it.
This is great for O’Rourke’s approval ratings in Hollywood. Among the Texas voters whose votes he’s seeking? Maybe not so much. And that’s probably why not a single one of those 185,000 retweets came from O’Rourke or his campaign.
[Related: Ted Cruz, Beto O’Rourke in four-point race: Poll]
Cruz, on the other hand, can’t stop tweeting about it. “Beto raising big $$ from Hollywood by supporting NFL protests of the national anthem. But in Texas? Vast majority of Texans stand for the flag, honor our veterans, and support the brave men & women of law enforcement. People can protest without disrespecting the flag,” he said on Thursday, before posting several articles about O’Rourke’s comments.
To topple Cruz, O’Rourke will need to turn out his progressive base without alienating the rest of the state. That’s not an easy balancing act, especially in Texas. It’s also a case study in how Democrats’ reliance on the Hollywood donor base is being exploited by Republicans— Josh Hawley has pursued a similar line of attack against Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri.
With NFL season kicking off just as the midterm campaigns enter their final lap, expect to hear more of this.
