UPDATE: 4:24 p.m. CT
Newly released images show the Senator ted cross warding off a thrown beer can thrown at him during Monday’s Astros World Series parade in downtown Houston. Video posted by Twitter user @wcgroovy shows the young senator riding a humvee along the parade route and fending off a beer can thrown in his direction from the crowd.
Cruz did not appear to be injured in the incident. A tweet posted Monday afternoon by the Houston Police Department indicated that a 33-year-old man was arrested at the parade for hitting the senator in the “chest/neck” with a beer.
It is not clear if the incident in the video and the one mentioned by HPD are the same.
— End of update —
A Houston parade on Monday celebrating the Astros’ victory in the World Seriesall fans were welcome, unless you’re senator ted cruz or texan lieutenant governor dan patricio, apparently. Swarms of Houstonians descended on downtown to honor the Astros winning their second World Series championship in franchise history over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Minute Maid Park.
The last such parade in Houston occurred five years ago during the Astros’ 2017 World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cruz and Patrick were among those who wanted to commemorate the momentous occasion and made a guest appearance at the event. The junior senator, who showed up to support the Astros during recent games, including Game 6 of the World Series, rode in a military humvee during the celebration parade. But when Cruz made his way through a sea of fans clad in orange and blue, loud boos ensued.
In footage from the festivities, Cruz, wearing Astros colors, was shown waving to the crowd, smiling and giving him a thumbs up, despite several fans giving him thumbs down and booing him in return. Patrick, who floated by in a humvee before Cruz, was also reportedly teased. Fans who tuned in to a live stream of the parade noted the negative response Cruz and Patrick received on social media, some even asking for the couple to be kicked out of Astros events.
“Who the hell invited Dan Patrick and Ted Cruz to the @astros parade? They’re like flies at a cookout.” wrote a fan on Twitter. “Ted Cruz is on a float being booed into oblivion,” noted another. Ben DuBose, editor of USA Today’s The Rockets Wire tweeted: “Loud booing and middle fingers for Ted Cruz.”
Several were confused as to why the two Republicans were appearing in the parade. A person questioned on Twitter: “Who thought it was a good idea to have Dan Patrick and Ted Cruz at the Astros parade? A–holes just have to put a little stink on everything.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Cruz noted that the young senator was also cheered by some in attendance, pointing to a clip shared by Cruz on Twitter.
Cruz was similarly booed and jeered. by New York Yankees fans as they attended Game 4 of the Astros’ ALCS series at Yankee Stadium last month. The senator after he dismissed the negative reactions as trash talk.