In a Texas senate race that's becoming increasingly competitive, words matter. But Republican incumbent Ted Cruz's campaign may not be focusing on the right words in a new attack ad against Cruz's Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke.
The Cruz campaign chose to focus on O'Rourke's use of swear words--particularly the "F bomb"--in an ad posted to Twitter.
The video shows O'Rourke getting passionate while speaking at what appear to be campaign events, using phrases like "How f*cked up is that?", "This is f*cked up," and "What the f*ck are these guys doing?"
But the consensus on Twitter seems to be: "Big f*ckin' deal."
This isn't the first time Cruz's attempts to vilify his opponent have only ended up making O'Rourke look cooler.
But most accused Cruz of hypocrisy for accepting the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
The president and Senator Cruz have had a bristly relationship in the past, primarily beginning with the 2016 presidential campaign, when they competed for the Republican nomination.
Then-candidate Trump repeatedly insulted Senator Cruz.
After insulting Cruz's wife's looks and accusing his father of aiding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Trump changed his tune last month.
The two are scheduled to appear at a rally for Cruz in October. With such a bitter rivalry preceding this new alliance, many see it as a demonstration of Cruz's spinelessness and desperation for political advancement.
It's a vulnerability on which activists like David Hogg are ready to pounce. Hogg helped orchestrate a billboard that will display Trump's bitter tweets against Cruz during the scheduled rally.
And while Texas is usually assuredly red, Beto O'Rourke is proving to be quite more than just a thorn in Cruz's side. While Cruz has always had a likability problem, the tides of public opinion seem to be shifting against him even more, and with them are shifting the polls. Some are even shifting all the way across the aisle.
It's surprising enough that a race in a state as red as Texas could be anybody's game, but with upsets abound across primaries and runoffs alike, Beto O'Rourke may just have the momentum to pull off a win in November. And that's a big f*ckin' deal.