The Houston debate audience erupted in applause Thursday evening when former Vice President Joe Biden praised former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-Texas) response to the August mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.

“The way he handled what happened in his hometown is meaningful,” Biden said about O’Rourke during the Democratic presidential debate in Houston. “To look in the eyes of those people, to see those kids, to understand those parents, to understand the heartache, we are ready to do this.”{mosads}

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro also commended O’Rourke, whose congressional district included El Paso.

“I want to commend Beto for how well he has spoken to the passion and the frustration and the sadness after what happened in his hometown of El Paso,” said Castro. “He’s done a great job with that.”

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) chimed in during the debate by saying, “God love you,” to praise O’Rourke for his response in El Paso.

Following the recent mass shooting when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, the former Texas representative visited El Paso to visit with victims’ families.