Ted Cruz gets haircut at Texas salon after owner released from jail
First Sarah Palin, now Ted Cruz. Republican politicians are showing up at Salon à la Mode in Dallas, Texas, in solidarity with its owner, Shelley Luther.
Luther was jailed this week for refusing to keep her non-essential business closed during coronavirus lockdowns, but has since been released after backlash.
While wearing a face mask, Senator Cruz got his hair cut Friday for the first time in three months, and he traveled all the way to Dallas for the occasion.
"Hair salons & barbershops are open in TX today. Just got my hair cut for first time in 3 months at Salon ALa Mode to support Shelley Luther, who was wrongly imprisoned when she refused to apologize for trying to earn a living," Cruz tweeted Friday. "Glad Shelley is out of jail & her business is open!"
Hair salons & barbershops are open in TX today. Just got my hair cut for first time in 3 months at Salon ALa Mode to support Shelley Luther, who was wrongly imprisoned when she refused to apologize for trying to earn a living. Glad Shelley is out of jail & her business is open! pic.twitter.com/yJD8fWb84W
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 8, 2020
"We're thrilled to be with you and know the whole State of Texas is standing with you, so thank you for your courage," Cruz told Luther, CBS DFW reports.
Luther teared up as she thanked the senator for his support. "When people reach out with true authenticity, it's huge," she said.
"It's a nice gesture. His family actually called my boyfriend and prayed for him for 20 minutes while I was in jail. To me that's not political… that's just really nice people reaching out and making sure that our family is okay," Luther added.
Palin, the former governor of Alaska, also stopped by the salon for a haircut on Wednesday, when Luther was in jail.
"We don't know what to do with all of these celebrities coming in lately. I missed Mrs. Palin when I was held up for a little couple days," Luther told Cruz.
On Tuesday, Luther was sentenced to a week in jail after judge Eric Moye said she violated statewide stay-at-home orders when she reopened her business nearly two weeks ago. She also publicly tore up a cease-and-desist letter from Dallas County that ordered her to close.
Cruz called the decision "nuts," joining Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Governor Greg Abbott in calling for Luther's release. Luther was released from jail Thursday after a Supreme Court of Texas ruling and on Friday, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick paid her a fine she owed.
A GoFundMe page that was set up for Luther by her supporters has raised over $500,000. They called her an "American Hero that has decided to resist tyranny."
Luther also received support from the president during his interview with Fox News on Friday, calling Moye a "terrible judge."
Luther's "an incredible representative for a large group of people that want to do the same thing — they want to get back to work," President Trump said.