--- title: Republicans Tried to Drag Beto O'Rourke With Cool Old Photos description: The Texas GOP dug up old punk rock photo of Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke — but it's backfired on Ted Cruz and his campaign. canonical: https://time.com/5381919/beto-orourke-punk-rock/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-29T19:08:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:14.233Z og:title: Republicans Tried to Drag Beto O'Rourke With Cool Old Photos og:description: The Texas GOP attempt to criticize the Senate candidate seems to have backfired og:url: https://time.com/5381919/beto-orourke-punk-rock/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt315e5f6450e1effc/69893907e76ad28cdd632df4/gettyimages-982193218.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Beto O'Rourke Joins Protest Against Trump Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republicans Tried to Drag Beto O'Rourke With Cool Old Photos twitter:description: The Texas GOP attempt to criticize the Senate candidate seems to have backfired twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt315e5f6450e1effc/69893907e76ad28cdd632df4/gettyimages-982193218.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Texas Republicans Used a Punk Rock Photo to Criticize Beto O'Rourke. It Backfired on Twitter > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Hundreds Protest on Father's Day Against a Tent City for Immigrant Children Near Texas Border [Watch (HLS stream): Hundreds Protest on Father's Day Against a Tent City for Immigrant Children Near Texas Border](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xrVrtJ5C.m3u8) (0:25)  _Published 2018-06-18. On Father’s Day, hundreds of protesters descended on a Texas border outpost where a new tent city has been erected to detain immigrant children._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 29, 2018 7:08 PM UTC  TORNILLO, TX - JUNE 23: Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) participates in a press conference after touring the tent encampment near the Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry on June 23, 2018 in Tornillo, Texas. A tent facility was recently built next to the Tornillo-Guadalupe port of entry to house immigrant children separated from their parents after they were caught entering the U.S. under the administration's "zero tolerance policy. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) TORNILLO, TX - JUNE 23: Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) participates in a press conference after touring the tent encampment near the Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry on June 23, 2018 in Tornillo, Texas. A tent facility was recently built next to the Tornillo-Guadalupe port of entry to house immigrant children separated from their parents after they were caught entering the U.S. under the administration's "zero tolerance policy. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Joe Raedle—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 29, 2018 7:08 PM UTC The race for U.S. Senator from Texas between incumbent [Ted Cruz](http://time.com/5314531/ted-cruz-jimmy-kimmel-basketball-blobfish/) and current congressman [Beto O’Rourke](http://time.com/longform/beto-orourke-texas-democratic-senate-race/) is tightening, with polls showing the opponents in a statistical dead heat as of Wednesday afternoon ahead of election day. So the Texas Republican Party tried this week to get an edge on O’Rourke by circulating a series of old photos of the Democratic candidate. The series attributes O’Rourke’s seeming reticence to debate Cruz to some of his hobbies: in one, he’s posing as part of a band. In another, he’s chilling with a skateboard. The third is an apparent mugshot. ([According to PolitiFact](https://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2018/aug/22/silvestre-reyes/beto-orourke-arrested-1990s-burglary-and-dwi/), the mugshot can be traced back to one of two mid-90s arrests; college student O’Rourke admitted to [jumping](http://www.palestineherald.com/news/u-s-senate-candidate-seeks-national-platform-for-change/article%5Fe092adae-8210-11e7-8da2-8f88bcca04ca.html) a fence at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1995 and being charged for driving under the influence in 1998\. Both incidences were ultimately dismissed.) O’Rourke supporters — and even some self-identified Republicans — have responded by noting that these relatable tidbits from his past only add to O’Rourke’s appeal. A U.S. Senator with a punk-rock past seems to be an attractive concept to some vocal people online after all. And it’s inspired others to dig up footage of Cruz from his youth as well. > [](https://twitter.com/TexasGOP/status/1034591481892405249) > [](https://twitter.com/TexasGOP/status/1034580157707759621) > [](https://twitter.com/TexasGOP/status/1034563787297316865) > [](https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1034803130423275520) > [](https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/1034829302955745280) > [](https://twitter.com/delaneytarr/status/1034829465367584770) > [](https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/1034809662812479490) > [](https://twitter.com/maggieserota/status/1034819023475810306) > [](https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1034821042433417216) > [](https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1034829050773221376) > [](https://twitter.com/SamAdlerBell/status/1034852142035726337) > [](https://twitter.com/jenapradio/status/1034875086069805057) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5381919/beto-orourke-punk-rock/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5381919/beto-orourke-punk-rock/"},"headline":"Texas Republicans Used a Punk Rock Photo to Criticize Beto O'Rourke. 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