Ted Cruz's 3 day-old beard has social media freaking out

>>> See some of the best reactions to Ted Cruz' new beard.

@JoePerticone

>>> See some of the best reactions to Ted Cruz' new beard.

@JoePerticone Photo: @JoePerticone Photo: @JoePerticone Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Ted Cruz's 3 day-old beard has social media freaking out 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

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To the amusement of the internet, Ted Cruz returned to work on Monday sporting a five o'clock shadow.

Judging by his Twitter, it's been three days since the Texas Senator last shaved. It's led many to speculate the light facial hair is the beginning of a winter beard.

The news was first shared by Business Insider's Joe Perticone, who spotted the senator on Capitol Hill and exclaimed in a tweet, "Ted Cruz grew a beard over Thanksgiving!"

Ted Cruz grew a beard over Thanksgiving! pic.twitter.com/g8I58uPn9o — Joe Perticone (@JoePerticone) November 26, 2018

Since then, unnecessary periodic updates have followed the progress of Cruz's facial hair.

Cruz Beard Watch, Day 2 https://t.co/eOvf49105b — Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) November 27, 2018

Of course, the odd piece of news has led to plenty of memes and reactions, with some observers vehemently opposed to Cruz's efforts and others totally on board.

Check out a few of the best reactions above.

Fernando Ramirez is a digital reporter for Chron.com and Houstonchronicle.com. Read him on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. Follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email him at Fernando.ramirez@chron.com.