Mar 16, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Beto walks back campaign jokes about his wife's childcare

Beto O'Rourke stands and holds his face with a microphone.

O'Rourke answers questions in Iowa during his second day of campaigning. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Amid backlash for fiction he wrote as a teenager about murdering children, Beto O'Rourke has also acknowledged criticism of campaign trail comments about his wife, the AP reports.

Details: In his first days on the campaign trail, O'Rourke frequently joked that his wife Amy raised their 3 children "sometimes with my help." Despite laughs, this drew criticism for coming across as insensitive to challenges faced by single parents. At a podcast taping in Iowa O'Rourke said he plans to be "more thoughtful" in how he talks about his marriage and that he doesn't plan on making the same joke again, per the AP.

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