Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke doesn’t think Ted Cruz is a “giant asshole,” at least not “publicly.”
In an interview published Saturday, Senator Ted Cruz’s Democratic challenger told The New York Times’ Frank Bruni that he regrets agreeing with Bill Maher’s characterization of Cruz as a “giant asshole” during an interview with the “Real Time” host last month.
When O’Rourke noted that his campaign had so far “out-raised Ted Cruz by more than a million dollars” without taking PAC money, Maher said “Well, don’t forget he’s a giant asshole.”
To which O’Rourke responded, “That’s true.”
“I think I was just moving the conversation along,” O”Rourke told Bruni of the exchange. “Anyhow, I don’t think that Ted Cruz is an asshole.”
When Bruni asked, “You don’t?” O’Rourke responded, “I certainly don’t think that publicly.”
In his bid to oust Cruz in the historically red state of Texas, O’Rourke has at least one thing going for him — fundraising. The Times also reported that Cruz’s Democratic challenger has raised more than any other Democrat trying to win a Texas Senate seat, to the tune of $13.2 million, including $6.7 million in the first quarter of 2018 alone.