Pop star Harry Styles has officially endorsed Beto O’Rourke (D) in the Texas gubernatorial race.
The 28-year-old “Watermelon Sugar” singer made his stance known during a Sunday concert at the Moody Center in Austin. Styles showed off a “Beto for Texas” sticker on his guitar that audiences could clearly see on the jumbo screen, per Fox News.
O’Rourke was in the audience clapping, which camera operators also showed on the screen.
Styles has become more political lately, joining efforts to register voters before the November midterms. He endorsed Democratic candidate Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
O’Rourke is running a campaign to unseat incumbent Governor Greg Abbott (R) next month. He’s a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and lost his race for the U.S. Senate in 2018 to Republican Ted Cruz. O’Rourke briefly ran for president during the last cycle but dropped out in November 2019.
As for Styles, the singer has become more political.
During another concert at the Moody Center last week, Styles made overt references to his disdain for current Texas politics. According to local news outlet KXAN, the singer displayed political messages on the screen: “Together, we can end gun violence.”
Below the quote, Styles included his tour logo paired with a logo from Everytown, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control.
At the same show, the “Sign of the Times” singer began with a statement on abortion, saying he believed women should have “the right to choose” what happens to their bodies.
Styles also showed support for the LGBTQ community by wearing a pride flag during his song, “Treat People with Kindness.”
The Grammy Award winner has come under fire for refusing to define his sexuality, which some critics claim is just a ploy for attention.
“It’s not like I’m sitting on an answer, and protecting it, and holding it back. It’s not a case of: I’m not telling you cos I don’t want to tell you. It’s not: ooh this is mine and it’s not yours,” he told The Guardian in 2019 when asked point blank if he was bisexual.
“It’s: who cares? Does that make sense? It’s just: who cares?” he continued.
“Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No.” Styles said.