Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D., Texas) said in a new interview that only "publicly" he doesn't believe Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) is an "asshole."
O'Rourke agreed with HBO's Bill Maher in March after the comedian referred to Cruz by the crude term.
"Don’t forget, he’s a giant asshole," Maher said.
"That’s true," O'Rouke said.
However, during a meeting with New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, O'Rourke danced around on his opinion of Cruz.
O'Rourke initially told Bruni he regretted agreeing with Maher.
"I think I was just moving the conversation along," O'Rourke said. "Anyhow, I don’t think that Ted Cruz is an asshole."
"You don't?" Bruni asked.
"I certainly don’t think that publicly," O'Rouke said.
Cruz is seeking a second term against the well-funded O'Rourke, who raised $6.7 million in the first quarter of 2018 and has stoked hopes of Democrats winning a statewide race in Texas for the first time since 1994.