--- 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: 2026-04-13T07:54:35.479Z 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=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 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=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Texas Republicans Used a Punk Rock Photo to Criticize Beto O'Rourke. It Backfired on Twitter ## 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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