Former fighter pilot MJ Hegar is running to represent Texas against the state's incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn.
Once considered reliably red, the Democratic party has made large strides in Texas, most notably with the close Senate race between Beto O'Rourke and Republican Senator Ted Cruz in 2018.
The race is once again looking closer than Republicans four years ago would've ever predicted. Not only has the Cook Political Report shifted the Senate race from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican," but Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is holding his own—and, in some polls, winning—against President Donald Trump in the Lone Star State, which Trump won by nine points in 2016.
That may be why Cornyn is lobbing every criticism his campaign can think of or invent against Hegar, claiming that she's been handpicked by the Democratic party and that she values hobnobbing with celebrities over the lives of Texans.
Now, Cornyn's campaign has launched negative ads against Hegar for cursing.
Watch below.
Demeanorwww.youtube.com
The ad begins with a warning of "graphic language," before showing an exasperated Hegar using expletives that are bleeped out. The ad then praises Cornyn for treating people with "respect" and fighting "smart."
For a candidate running ads about coarse language indicating poor leadership, Cornyn is quite close to President Donald Trump, who has famously used graphic language not suitable for television on repeated occasions. As recently as this month, the President used the word "f**k" in an interview with far-right radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Cornyn has voted in line with Trump over 95 percent of the time. As Trump's reelection chances look more and more grim, Cornyn has assured that he broke with Trump on the border wall and the deficit, but said he did so privately.
Hegar, for her part, seemed unconcerned and clapped back with even more profanity.
People were living for it.
Kick some ass, MJ! 💪 pic.twitter.com/ro6j5gZNLX
— Warren Democrat 🗽✉️ (@WarrenDemocrat) October 22, 2020
This is exactly how you handle phony self-righteousness from Republicans.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) October 22, 2020
Maybe if @JohnCornyn had been in combat he would learn sometimes you can't just pretend to be a ❄️
— Bob (@bobpi31415) October 22, 2020
i love you so much and i'm so damn proud to have voted for you 💙💛
— thank you, pete. 🏳️🌈🐝 (@gracieminabox) October 22, 2020
Others called out Cornyn's hypocrisy.
Oh Johnny. Unlike yourself,@mjhegar says what she means, and means what she says in public and in private.
Good Luck with the pearl clutching Texas conservatives. After 4 years of Trump ALL of your hypocrisy is on full display. https://t.co/OWjoFPGJvT
— Stephanie Clay 🏳️🌈🐝 (@_StephanieClay) October 22, 2020
cornyn also attacked trump for cursing but he did it by whispering it into his pillow then looked around fearfully in case any body heard https://t.co/B29L8rDMrX
— darth™ (@darth) October 22, 2020
This is obscenely hypocritical from a guy who votes with potty-mouth Trump 96% of the time. Perhaps @mjhegar developed her badass vernacular from being shot while serving in combat. @JohnCornyn's idea of combat is elbowing his way to the shrimp platter at a DC lobbyist fundraiser https://t.co/vyx8mJydXJ
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) October 22, 2020
Has Cornyn put out an ad featuring Trump's foul mouth yet, or does he just do that when a woman curses? https://t.co/CcyLg1IiEm
— Laffy (@GottaLaff) October 22, 2020
Funny that @JohnCornyn hits @mjhegar for swearing but doesn't say a word about Trump's profane language use. 🤔 #TXSen https://t.co/7u92nyKN5Y https://t.co/pl9wmeaabj
— Justin Jenkins 🚀 (@just_jenkins) October 22, 2020
There's a growing chance it could be Cornyn who ends up cursing on election night, but we won't know until November 3rd at the earliest.