Former CIA Director John Brennan on Friday endorsed Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke in his effort to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas.

“As a former resident of Texas and a proud UT-Austin alumnus, I believe Beto O’Rourke is the type of individual Texans need in the U.S. Senate to represent their best interests,” Brennan tweeted Friday morning, just a few days before the midterm elections. “He has the integrity, intellect, and character that is in short supply in Congress. Vote!”

[Opinion: Why Beto O'Rourke is going to lose, in one photo]



As a former resident of Texas and a proud UT-Austin alumnus, I believe Beto O’Rourke is the type of individual Texans need in the U.S. Senate to represent their best interests. He has the integrity, intellect, and character that is in short supply in Congress. Vote! — John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 2, 2018



Brennan served as CIA director under former President Barack Obama and was replaced with Mike Pompeo after Trump took office in Jan. 2017. Brennan has been a vocal opponent of Trump, so much so that Trump revoked Brennan's security clearance in August.

O’Rourke has gained a lot of traction in the red state, but most polls still show that Cruz has more support than O’Rourke leading up to the midterms.

RealClearPolitics’ poll average has Cruz ahead of O’Rourke by 6.5 percentage points, even though O’Rourke has outraised Cruz.