Texas Democratic governor challenger Beto O’Rourke lost his temper with a man who laughed as the former congressman talked about the Uvalde school massacre, calling him “mom.”
O’Rourke, who has condemned the response of state and local officials to the tragedy at Robb Elementary School that killed 19 children and two teachers, was in Mineral Wells on Wednesday arguing for a stricter weapon. control measures when he heard a loud crash from a member of the public.
O’Rourke turned and immediately confronted the inappropriately jovial town hall assistant.
“It may be for you, Mom, but it’s not for me,” O’Rourke replied.
O’Rourke, a Democrat running to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott, was speaking about gun control in Mineral Wells, Texas, on Wednesday when he encountered a hacker. Twitter/Beto Media When O’Rourke heard the man laugh in response to her comments about the Uvalde shooting, she said, “It might be for you, mom, but it’s not for me.” Twitter/Beto Media
The gubernatorial aspirant’s speech drew loud applause and cheers from the crowd, culminating in a standing ovation.
The unnamed audience member was reportedly among a small cabal of Gov. Greg Abbott supporters who wore black and displayed the Republican incumbent’s campaign signs.
Videos of O’Rourke’s salty retort quickly went viral on social media platforms.
After his fiery speech at the town hall, O’Rourke tweeted, “There was nothing more serious to me than to get justice for the families of Uvalde and prevent this from happening again.”
O’Rourke’s response was widely praised by Democrats on Twitter, while a few conservatives criticized him for using foul language.
“@BetoORourke captures the anger and frustration so many of us feel when people like this speaker and @GovAbbott show no compassion for the victims of Uvalde and their families,” wrote Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat representing Uvalde.
Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, applauded O’Route for “calling it like it is.”
A day after the May 24 school shooting, O’Rourke interrupted a news conference by Abbott and local officials, demanding action on gun control in what was widely perceived as a stunt by inopportune campaign
O’Rourke took a swipe at Gov. Abbott during a press conference held a day after the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School. AFP via Getty Images
“The time to stop the next shooting is right now and do nothing,” the Liberal politician said before being escorted away.
The former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate will face Abbott at the polls in November.