Beto O’Rourke Thanks Harry Styles for His Endorsement: ‘That Was a Huge Boost’

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Beto O’Rourke credited Harry Styles’ endorsement with giving his Texas gubernatorial campaign a bit of a boost in a new interview on the podcast, Hysteria. 

During the interview, O’Rourke spoke about attending one of Styles’ concerts in Austin earlier this month, where Styles placed a “Beto for Texas” sticker on his guitar. “To have his support and get that push from him, it was really just wonderful,” O’Rourke said. “And I can tell you that in the following days, so many young people who really weren’t plugged into this campaign, or really this race, or maybe didn’t know there was an election taking place in Texas, or the issues… they’re taking notice, they’re now in, they’re curious, and they’re coming out and getting registered to vote. That was a huge boost, and I am so grateful to him.”

O’Rourke added that he spoke with Styles after the concert and said the singer had actually watched the recent debate between him and Texas’ current Republican governor, Greg Abbott. Though ostensibly unexpected, O’Rourke suggested there might be a reason behind Styles’ particular interest in such a specific state election.

“I think he is [paying attention] for the same reason that we’re talking right now,” O’Rourke said. “There’s probably no state that has a greater bearing on this country’s future on the issues that matter most — voting rights, reproductive healthcare, freedom, gun violence. I mean, you name it, it is right here in Texas, and he’s well aware of that.” 

Along with endorsing O’Rourke, Styles used his Texas shows to encourage fans to register to vote before the Oct. 11 deadline. He also used his platform to speak out against Texas’ strict abortion restrictions.