A number of low-polling 2020 Democrats are adopting the use of bad language in a bid to gain media attention and propel themselves to relevancy.

Beto O'Rourke began dropping a number of F-bombs when speaking about issues like gun violence around the time his campaign began a relaunch after he failed to gain any traction in polls.

“Members of the press, what the f---?!” O'Rourke asked in August following the El Paso, Texas, shooting. That was followed up with another F-word-laden tirade. “We’re averaging about 300 mass shootings a year. No other country comes close. So, yes, this is f---ed up," he said. O'Rourke then later explained he was just "being honest" and wished to "shock the conscience of the country."

In April, O'Rourke promised to cease using foul language, although he was faring much better in the polls then.

"I'm not a fan. Swearing makes people sit up and pay attention to the context. If it doesn't enhance the message, it's a negative," Democratic strategist Scott Ferson told the Washington Examiner. "I'm not sure it's a vote-getter, there are more articulate ways to show you really hate guns," he said, before adding that he thought O'Rourke's language came across as desperate.

In March, O'Rourke acknowledged that swearing could turn off some voters, even if it did attract more media attention. "I don't intend on using that word going forward," he told a voter in Madison, Wisconsin. He soon changed his mind.

Latest polls show O'Rourke's Democratic support ranging from zero to 4%. A RealClearPolitics average has him at 2.3%, behind candidates like entrepreneur Andrew Yang at 2.5%, who said "ass" during the the June Democratic debates, and Sen. Cory Booker who quoted President Trump's "shit hole" comment during the July debates.

Front-runners, such as Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, have largely refrained from using profanity on the stump, although the former vice president has made repeated references to his "big f---ing deal" comment about the Affordable Care Act when campaigning throughout the country.

Others, like Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, have boasted about their use of foul language. His campaign had no problem sharing a press release titled, “Governor Bullock on The Daily Show: I’ve Actually Had to Get Shit Done." Even the mild-mannered Midwesterners Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have both said "damn" during a debate.

Julián Castro said "bullshit" twice during his appearance on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, while Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan called on Republicans to "get their shit together."

Before she declared her candidacy, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard labeled the president " Saudi Arabia's bitch" over his decision not to punish the leader of the Gulf nation over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In advance of her now-ended 2020 run, candidate New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told a group of activists that "if we are not helping people, we should go the f--- home" in June 2017. She later pledged to give up swearing for Lent the following year, although she added that the president's behavior made it a lot harder.

In the House, freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib told supporters at a bar in Washington that she and her colleagues are "gonna impeach the motherf---er," referring to Trump. She later apologized for causing a "distraction."

Political strategists say much of the potty-mouths of various Democrats can be attributed to the behavior of the current White House occupant. Trump, they say, set a whole new standard for what was deemed publicly acceptable — and even gave Democrats the idea that such language can come across as relatable.

Of course, foul language by high-powered officials predates Trump, even President Barack Obama's White House had a notorious sailor-mouthed chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. During his tenure, the former mayor of Chicago reportedly lobbed F-bombs at others, so much so that he even donned a nameplate that read "Undersecretary of Go (F-Bomb) Yourself.”

Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were notoriously foul-mouthed in private while Vice President Dick Cheney once told Sen. Pat Leahy of Vermont to "go f--- yourself," and President George W. Bush described a New York Times reporter as a "major league asshole."