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Ted Cruz releases attack ad over Beto O’Rourke’s viral anthem clip

It’s easy to tell when Ted Cruz feels threatened.

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Ellen Ioanes

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) debuted a new campaign ad on Monday, this time focusing on the hot-button, and all important, issue of kneeling during the national anthem.

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The ad comes after Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), Cruz’s Democratic opponent, was shown on video at a town hall in Houston saying that there is “nothing more American” than protesting injustice when asked about his stance on NFL players kneeling during the anthem.

“I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, anyplace,” the Senate hopeful said in a four-minute response that went viral last week.

Cruz’s new ad, titled “Stand for the Anthem,” starts with dramatic piano music, then launches into footage from the Houston event. O’Rourke’s response to the question about his stance on kneeling during the anthem fades out to applause.

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“Nothing more American? Liberal Hollywood was thrilled,” continued a voice-over.

The ad, which clocks in at just over a minute, continues to show Vietnam War vet Tim Lee, who lost his legs in combat, speaking at a campaign event for Cruz.

“I lost two legs for this country, I’m not able to stand, but I sure expect you to stand for me when that national anthem is being played,” Lee says to the crowd.

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While some gave Cruz plaudits for the ad, lots of Twitter users took the opportunity to criticize Cruz and support O’Rourke:

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O’Rourke, the representative from Texas’ 16th Congressional district, has performed better than expected in the campaign. A recent Marist College poll had O’Rourke within four points of Cruz, and one from Emerson College showed an even tighter margin of one point.

Neither the Cruz nor the O’Rourke campaigns responded to request for comment by press time

 
The Daily Dot