TX-Sen: Ted Cruz crowd roars with laughter to senator's response when someone shouted 'lock him up

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told rallygoers Tuesday that his challenger, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, and Hillary Clinton could share a prison cell, Newsweek reported.

What's the story?

The comment came in response to a supporter who shouted "lock him up" in reference to O'Rourke and brought roars of laughter and clapping from the crowd in Georgetown, Texas.

“Well, you know, there’s a double-occupancy cell with Hillary Clinton,” Cruz said at a rally. “Y'all are gonna get me in trouble with that.

"They're not gonna cover anything about taxes or anything else," Cruz continued with a laugh. "That's gonna be the entire news broadcast."

Some O'Rourke supporters lashed out at the senator on Twitter for his remarks.

"Ted Cruz should have condemned the 'Lock Him Up' comment directed at Beto O'Rourke not encourage it with a joke. Jailing of political opponents isn't a joke. We need to stop ignoring these chants," @RedTRaccoon tweeted.

"The level to which politicians will stoop when discussing their political opponents tells you all you need to know about them — Ted Cruz says Beto O'Rourke can have 'double occupancy cell with Hillary Clinton' after supporter yells 'lock him up,'" Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez tweeted. Sanchez is running for the Texas 6th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, the chant "lock her up" was often heard at rallies for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in reference to his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

On Monday, Trump held a MAGA rally in Houston where he stumped for Cruz and other Republicans who are running for seats in the state.

According the Real Clear Politics polling average, Cruz currently holds a 7-point lead over O'Rourke.

What else?

Cruz, along with fellow Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, is in the midst of a statewide bus tour heading into the final stretch to the Nov. 6 midterm elections, according to a campaign news release.

On Wednesday, the pair will hold a rally at Gilley's in Dallas. Then, they'll make stops on Thursday in Arlington, Tyler, and Longview, before heading to Nacogdoches, Livingston, and Galveston on Friday.

Meanwhile, O'Rourke is set for an event on Thursday in Midlothian. He will also participate in an MSNBC Town Hall where Chris Matthews will hold a one-on-one interview with the candidate on Oct. 30 at the University of Houston.