While interacting with the crowd at a recent concert stop in Austin, Texas pop star Harry Styles gave a ringing endorsement to Democratic candidate for Texas governor Beto O'Rourke. The man himself was actually in the crowd that night enjoying the show.
And reportedly so was the daughter of O'Rourke's opponent, incumbent Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
Styles' endorsement was met with enthusiastic cheers as he pointed to a sticker on his guitar reading "Beto for Texas" and pumped his arm in support.
The reception to Styles' endorsement can only be described as jubilant.
But it reached a true fever pitch when people realized O'Rourke was also in attendance.
O'Rourke was seen interacting with fans in Styles' audience—taking selfies, trading handshakes and high fives with the crowd.
But for many, the moment of synergy between Styles and O'Rourke became even more delightful for fans once word began to spread Abbott's daughter was in the crowd as well.
Concertgoers reported seeing videos from the concert posted to her Instagram Story.
Awkward.
Given O'Rourke's many takedowns of Abbott in recent months...
Texas activist Olivia Juliana of Gen Z for Change—who famously raised millions for reproductive freedom off an insult from Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz—wrote on Twitter:
"I’m sorry but if I was Greg Abbott and I found out that my daughter was at a concert where the singer endorsed my opponent who was IN THE CROWD, I would be throwing up and crying 💀💀💀"
O'Rourke has been pointed in his criticisms of Abbott, targeting everything from Abbott's handling of Texas' growing energy crisis to his handling of gun violence including a White nationalist mass shooting in El Paso and a school shooting in Uvalde.
O'Rourke even dressed him down face-to-face in front of a town hall meeting after the Uvalde shooting in May. Abbott's supporters have not been spared O'Rourke's no-nonsense approach to the Governor either.
Given Styles' fluid gender/sexual identity and Abbott's virulently anti-LGBTQ+ stances, it seemed likely his daughter is more politically aligned with O'Rourke than her father—much like how Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz's daughter publicly reviles his politics.
People couldn't help but find the awkwardness of this whole thing hilarious.
And people loved Styles' Beto endorsement just as much.
Styles isn't the only musician to endorse O'Rourke.
Country legend and lifelong Texan Willie Nelson also gave O'Rourke a thumbs up.
Polling still shows Abbott enjoying a lead over O'Rourke of a bit more than seven points in deep red Texas, however.
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u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit