HOUSTON (Nexstar)― U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke were rivals in one of the most contested races this election cycle.
The race got heated during debates and in attack ads. But now that it is over, it seems unity is the theme.
A photo shared on social media shows the opponents posing with a group of people at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
The photo was shared by Tiffany Easter. She said she was waiting for a flight from Houston to Washington, D.C. for a cyber conference, when she saw O’Rourke walk over to Cruz and congratulate him on winning the race. She said it was the first time they’d seen each other since the election.
She wrote on Twitter: “@BetoORourke & @tedcruz, thank you for showing us the best of America today @ IAH. Thanks for the conversation, 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!”
“I’ve followed politics my entire life,” Easter said in an interview Wednesday. “I’ve worked on campaigns. And you know, unity is what I like to see in candidates.”
Keri Weinman, one of Easter’s classmates at Texas A&M, who also appears in the photos with Cruz and O’Rourke, said the response has mostly been positive.
“A lot of it was ‘I’m not surprised it was you two,’ just because we’re interested, study (politics) at school all the time, (and) host election watch parties,” Weinman added.
Easter said she hoped it would inspire people to use “basic civility” in life.
“We’re asking for examples of bipartisanship so when we see it we need to hang on to it, internalize it, and move forward with that,” Easter said Wednesday afternoon. “Always be open to a handshake, always be open to what the other person has to say, regardless of circumstances, and I think that’s just good practice for life in general outside of government.”