Beto O'Rourke returns to his roots, livestreams haircut

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter)

The old Beto O'Rourke is back.

On Monday, the former Texas congressmember turned 2020 Democrat promised MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that he could "do a better job" running his once-soaring, now-faltering campaign. And on Wednesday, he brought back a stunt that seemed to have worked in the past: Livestreaming.

Before O'Rourke launched his presidential run in March, and in his first few weeks in the race, was a solid frontrunner in most polls and even topped Joe Biden in one. But recent polls have O'Rourke back down in the single digits, prompting Maddow and others to question whether he peaked too early. So O'Rourke dredged up an old technique and livestreamed his haircut in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday, talking about everything from his barber's immigrant background to the ear hair he was getting trimmed.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

The live event hearkens back to O'Rourke's post-Senate, pre-presidential run days, when he livestreamed a dental cleaning. A haircut, which does not inhibit its receiver from talking, is undeniably a better choice.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.