Harry Styles endorses Beto O’Rourke during Texas concert

The former congressman watched Styles’ show from the pit, where he waved to fans

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Wednesday 05 October 2022 13:39 BST
Comments
Related: Willie Nelson plays at Beto O’Rourke campaign event

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Harry Styles revealed his support for Beto O’Rourke this week among the former congressman’s run for governor of Texas.

The singer, 28, expressed his backing for the Democratic candidate, who is running against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, during a concert at Austin’s Moody Center on Sunday.

During the show, the Don’t Worry Darling star could be seen with a “Beto for Texas” sticker attached to his guitar. The singer surprised fans when he pointed to the sticker at one point during the show, prompting the venue’s screens to zoom in on O’Rourke smiling and cheering in the pit with the crowd.

In a video of the moment, the crowd could be heard cheering loudly as Styles gently rocked his guitar. The applause grew louder upon the realisation that O’Rourke was in attendance.

As the cheers continued, the politician waved to Styles and the crowd, before offering a peace sign.

“The screams just kept getting louder and louder,” one fan noted on Twitter, while another said: “[Harry Styles] has no idea how much this means to me.”

According to another user, they’d previously suggested the duo pair up: “I tweeted @BetoORourke and @Harry_Styles last week suggesting they do this. It’s so powerful for Beto to tap into Harry’s fan base. What a powerful synergy. I love them both!!”

O’Rourke had the honour of meeting Styles back stage and posted a photo on Twitter, writing: “Thanks Harry!”

Styles was not the only musician to endorse O’Rourke over the weekend. Country singer Willie Nelson also expressed his support for the Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate during a “Vote ‘Em Out” campaign on Sunday. For the occasion, Nelson appeared on stage in an O’Rourke shirt.

During a previous show at Texas’ Moody Center, Styles also expressed his political opinions towards abortion. He showed support of abortion rights while endorsing President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in