Ted Cruz is growing a beard, or is at least attempting to.
The senator from Texas was spotted on Capitol Hill this week with salt and pepper colored scruff along his cheeks.
BEARD:@tedcruz presides over Senate … pic.twitter.com/JjmaijgQ4r
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) November 27, 2018
The usually clean-shaven Republican fought off a challenge from Democratic darling and popular congressman Beto O’Rourke in last month’s midterm elections.
Twitter users and blogs immediately began to speculate about why Cruz has chosen to leave the razor in the bathroom cabinet.
“He is trying to adopt a more relaxed persona after nearly losing to chill and sweaty Beto O’Rourke” a post on the website The Cut suggested. “You can see why Trump referred to Cruz as ‘beautiful Ted,’” a Vanity Fair writer quipped.
Recently, facial hair has not been very popular among members of Congress.
A chart compiled by Vox.com in 2015 listed only two U.S. senators and 32 members of the House of Representatives as having facial hair.
