Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke Turn Chance Airport Encounter into Moment of 'Inspiration'
In an airport exchange shared widely via social media, two high-profile political foes expressed a desire to work together following a hard-fought midterm campaign.
A week after a bitter U.S. Senate battle resulted in the re-election of Texas Republican Ted Cruz, he and Democratic rival Beto O’Rourke found themselves booked on the same flight out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Tiffany Easter, a student at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, witnessed the chance encounter Tuesday she shared in a popular Facebook post.
“Low quality pic, HIGH quality encounter,” Easter began.
She wrote that her party arrived at the airport and realized Cruz and O’Rourke were both on their flight.
“Beto noticed Ted sitting down and walked over to congratulate him on his re-election and campaign,” Easter wrote. “It was the first time they had seen each other since the election and the entire conversation was both of them talking about how they could move forward TOGETHER.”
Describing the Senate race as “one of the most contested and most watched in the nation,” Easter went on to celebrate the fact that they chose to demonstrate unity after the campaign was over.
“This is America,” she wrote. “This is good. This is wholesome. This is why I love and do what I do. The humility y’all. I’m in awe.”
She shared a similar photo and sentiment in a widely shared tweet.
@BetoORourke & @tedcruz, thank you for showing us the best of America today @ IAH. Thanks for the conversion, courage, humility, and inspiration. Post-election doesn’t mean the conversation and civic engagement stops—in fact, it means the opposite. Thanks for your public service! pic.twitter.com/uVepvKQrW8
— Tiffany Easter (@TiffanyEaster) November 13, 2018
Easter thanked Cruz and O’Rourke “for showing us the best of America” during their airport encounter.
“Post-election doesn’t mean the conversation and civic engagement stops — in fact, it means the opposite,” she wrote. “Thanks for your public service!”
Her posts inspired several national headlines and a number of prominent social media accounts, including her college.
#GigEm to @BushSchool student @TiffanyEaster for capturing and sharing this awesome moment between @SenTedCruz and @RepBetoORourke! #Whoop! #OneAmerica https://t.co/ichMKpMSna
— Texas A&M University Government Relations (@Aggie_GR) November 15, 2018
Texas A&M University Government Relations recognized Easter “for capturing and sharing this awesome moment” between the Cruz and O’Rourke.
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