Beto O’Rourke may have lost Texas on Tuesday, but he did not go quietly into that good night.
After Sen. Ted Cruz narrowly won re-election in one of the 2018 midterm election’s closest races across the country, Democratic nominee O’Rourke gave a passionate concession speech.
Praising his supporters for their efforts, O’Rourke said “all of you showed the country how we do this. I am so f-cking proud of you guys,” to cheers from the crowd.
MSNBC apologized for airing the expletive via local Austin, Texas channel KXAN soon after.
“Sorry for the F-bomb,” Brian Williams said. “We have no control of what’s in the concession speeches.”
His unfiltered move is not without precedent.
In fact, in September, Cruz released a political TV ad featuring O’Rourke using the f-bomb in a speech to suggest that his rallies were inappropriate for children.
“So, he’s showing up across Texas, sharing his wit … his wisdom … and his character,” the ad’s voiceover said. “If Beto shows up in your town, maybe keep the kids at home. Beto O’Rourke, he’s showing the f-ck up.”
But on Tuesday night, viewers who were surprised by O’Rourke’s foul language took to Twitter to sound off on his use of the F-bomb.
Some pointed out he was simply living up to his punk rock past. See a sampling of reactions below.
Warning, some bad language:
