Ted Cruz Says Beto O'Rourke Can Have 'Double Occupancy Cell With Hillary Clinton' After Supporter Chants 'Lock Him Up'

During a rally in Georgetown, Texas, on Tuesday, for Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a supporter shouted "Lock him up" in reference to Cruz's opponent, Beto O'Rourke. Cruz replied that O'Rourke could share a cell with former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"Well, you know, there's a double-occupancy cell with Hillary Clinton," Cruz said. "Ya'll are gonna get me in trouble with that," he added.

Cruz and O'Rourke are battling for office in Texas. Should O'Rourke win, he would become the first Democratic senator in the state in at least 20 years. The "lock her up" chant referenced at the rally Tuesday could be heard often during President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016, in reference to Clinton. Some Trump supporters used it as a rallying cry against the Democratic nominee.

Trump himself, in a shift, has been vocal in his support for Cruz. The president previously dubbed the senator "Lyin' Ted," but has since changed his tune. Trump has now dubbed Cruz "beautiful Ted" and "Texas Ted," saying he "actually likes him a lot."

"We've had our little difficulties," Trump said on Monday in Houston during a rally. "It got nasty, and then it ended. And I'll tell you what—nobody has helped me more with your tax cuts, with your regulations, all of the things we've been doing with your military and you vets, than Senator Ted Cruz."

O'Rourke, meanwhile, has referenced Trump's past attacks on Cruz in his own campaign.

"Senator Cruz won't be honest with you," O'Rourke said in a debate last week. "He's dishonest. It's why the president called him 'Lyin' Ted,' and it's why the nickname stuck. Because it's true."