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US Senator Ted Cruz, left, and US Representative, Beto O. Rourke, at the right, shake hands after their first debate for a US Senate seat Friday in Dallas. (Nathan Hunsinger / Dallas Morning News / AP)
Amy B Wang
Generalist journalist responsible for national news and latest news
Ted Cruz's most popular tweet on Friday night – the one with tens of thousands of likes, retweets and commentaries – was ostensibly aimed at slamming his Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke.
"In the words of Beto O'Rourke," tweeted the Texas Republican, who found himself in the middle of a surprisingly tight re-election race for his Senate seat in a once-strong state.
Cruz then linked a video of a speech by O. Rourke in a Dallas church where he discussed the death of a resident named Botham Shem Jean, who was killed in his own apartment September 6 after a police officer came in thinking that it was his unit.
"How can it be – nowadays, in this very year, in this community – that a young man, African-American, in his own apartment, is shot by a policeman?" the crowd, more and more animated.
O'Rourke then demanded to know why the police thought it was relevant to report that a small amount of marijuana had been found in Jean's kitchen rather than revealing more details about the shots.
"How can this be right in this country? How can we continue to lose the lives of unarmed black men in the United States of America at the hands of white police? "This is not justice. It is not us It can and must change. "
The audience applauded. Some made him a standing ovation. It became another O'Rourke excerpt on the trail of the campaign that was going to become viral, especially revered in circles on the left.
And so, many people thought that Cruz, to borrow a modern political meme, was right. . . tweeted the video.
Did Cruz try to say that John's death was justified? This font should to be able to enter a random apartment and kill the resident inside? Could it really be a approval for O & # 39; Rourke as a kind of "innovative political strategy? "
"And?" The guy was in his own apartment and he was killed for no reason. read one of the best answers. "If the officer was black and the victim white, you'd be screaming for answers #YourFacilitiesIsShow #VoteBeto"
Others said that they were happy to retweet the video – as a "Inspiring" reason vote for O'Rourke.
"Senator, you are a great master of autonomy", actor Michael McKean tweeted.
Campaign representatives Cruz and O'Rourke did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Saturday morning.
A possible explanation of the video came in a tweet that Cruz posted just before, in which he accused: "Again and again, Congressman O'Rourke – facing the police and the police – is rank against the police.
Even then, people noticed that Cruz was referring to the Jean case and asked why police responsibility was anti-police.
Cruz and O'Rourke played their first debate on Friday night. The evidence that Cruz could have at least reached his target audience with the video of O 'Rourke that he tweeted was clearer at that time, when both candidates were invited to address the shooting of Jeans.
During the debate, Cruz said that it was "a mistake"For O'Rourke to have immediately dismissed Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. Many in the audience applauded Cruz's response.
The debate ended on a bitter note after each of the candidates was asked to name something that they admired in each other. O'Rourke said he admired Cruz for sacrificing his time for the campaign, showing his love for the United States.
In his response, Cruz agreed – but could not resist the addition of his message by trying to label O'Rourke "socialist", as did the presidential candidate of 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders (I -vt.).
"I think you're absolutely sincere, like Bernie, that you believe in the government's expansion and rising taxes," Cruz said.
O'Rourke, without missing an answer, replied ironically, "True to form".
A few hours before their Friday debate, the Cook Political Report moved the Texas Senate race from "lean Republican" to "throw".
This is not the first time that supporters of Cruz's campaign have been trying to attack O'Rourke with mixed results. Last month, the Texas GOP tweeted a black and white photo of a young O'Rourke while he was in a punk-rock band.
"Maybe Beto can not debate Ted Cruz because he already had plans. . . "The subtitled GOP.
"Is it a sin to be part of a group now? I am so confused, "a Twitter user answered.
In March, Cruz's campaign published a 60-second jingle aimed at ridiculing O'Rourke for changing his name to "Beto" in an attempt to appeal to voters in a state with a large Hispanic population.
This campaign failed after many people pointed out that Cruz himself was born Rafael Edward Cruz, Canada.
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