Beto O'Rourke's 'motherf---er' outburst contradicts pledge to avoid 'the F-word'
'We’re going to keep it clean,' O'Rourke said in 2019
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Beto O'Rourke, the Texas Democratic candidate for governor, appeared to violate his pledge to refrain from using the F-word during a campaign event Wednesday.
An event attendee appeared to laugh while O'Rourke spoke about the May mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, sparking the Democratic candidate's profanity-laced outburst, video of the town hall event showed. The attendee's interruption came as O'Rourke was lambasting state laws that enabled the Uvalde shooting suspect to obtain a high-powered rifle on his 18th birthday.
"Hundreds of rounds of ammunition and take that weapon that was originally designed for use on the battlefields of Vietnam to penetrate an enemy’s soldier helmet at 500 feet and knock him down dead," O’Rourke stated while kneeling on the ground, mimicking a soldier firing a rifle.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He then quickly turned around after hearing the apparent laughter from the crowd during his demonstration.
"It may be funny to you, motherf---er, but it’s not funny to me," O'Rourke shouted, leading to loud applause from his supporters in attendance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, amid his 2020 presidential campaign, O'Rourke pledged to stop using the F-word. The promise came after a voter asked about his frequent cursing.
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"Great point, and I don’t intend to use the F-word going forward. Point taken, and very strongly made. We’re going to keep it clean," he said in March 2019.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}O'Rourke, who commonly used the F-word during presidential campaign events, also appeared to break the pledge mere months after making it.
"We're averaging about 300 mass shootings a year, no other country comes close — so yes, this is f---ed up," he remarked during a CNN town hall in September 2019. "And if we don't call it out for what it is, then we will continue to have this kind of bloodshed in America."
Beto O'Rourke, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, are pictured. O'Rourke and Abbott are set to square off in the November election. (Chris Saucedo/Getty Images for SXSW | Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
O'Rourke eventually dropped out of the 2020 race in November 2019 after falling behind in the polls. He also failed to unseat incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2018.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In late 2021, O'Rourke announced his bid for Texas governor.
"Together, we can push past the small and divisive politics that we see in Texas today — and get back to the big, bold vision that used to define Texas," he tweeted at the time.
O'Rourke is set to face Gov. Greg Abbott in November. Recent polls have given Abbott a substantial lead over O'Rourke, according to FiveThirtyEight.
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The O'Rourke campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital reporter Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.