----------------------------------------
Cruz knows better than to run against Trump and stab MAGA in the back.
Trump 2024 - for President.
Cruz 2024 - for Senate.
Posted on 02/08/2023 12:43:01 PM PST by conservative98
Ted Cruz’s presidential ambitions were no secret even before he became the first Republican to jump into the 2016 race. As 2024 approaches, though, he’s playing it uncharacteristically cool.
The Texas senator isn’t explicitly ruling out another White House run. But asked about his considerations, Cruz described the Senate as “the battlefield right now,” with his seat up next year and a closer margin in his last reelection bid than is typical for the red state.
“I have no doubt that Democrats will dump a whole lot of money into it,” Cruz said in an interview. “In 2018, it was the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history … And there are a lot of national Democrats who want to do everything they can to try to defeat me. I don’t think they’re going to succeed.”
Should Cruz ultimately bow out of a GOP presidential primary, he’ll likely have plenty of company among fellow senators. Both Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), also seen as potential 2024 White House contenders, say they plan to run for reelection in their states. And Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he’s also taking a pass.
It’s a notable divergence from 2016, when four Republican senators jumped into the primary. As GOP lawmakers contend with the tricky dynamics of a polarizing former president’s third White House bid, many in their party are also eager to see an alternative candidate — and there’s a growing awareness that a crowded GOP field could clear the way for Donald Trump. Potential presidential candidates are also watching what other prominent GOP figures like Ron DeSantis will do, letting the Florida governor absorb Trump’s early attacks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who recently endorsed Trump and attended a South Carolina campaign rally with him, suggested that Cruz may be among the crew of potential candidates who will make a call after more deeply assessing the former president’s strength, especially among the party base.
Cruz “has a lot of support, he’s a strong conservative voice in the body,” Graham said. “I think he’d be one of the people who will sort of look and see how Trump does and see what happens.”
Cruz’s focus on his Senate bid follows a tough 2018 reelection fight against former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who lost by 2.6 points. Combined, the two candidates raised close to $115 million, with O’Rourke bringing in more than $80 million. And Cruz may face another fight in 2024, with Texas and Florida the only conceivable pick-up opportunities for Democrats in a cycle that will have them mostly on defense — 23 of the party’s seats are up next year.
O’Rourke did not respond to a request for comment on whether he was considering a second Senate run against Cruz. After losing his gubernatorial bid against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022, he told the audience in his concession speech that “this may be one of the last times I get to talk in front of you all.”
But plenty of others are considering a Cruz challenge. A person close to former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said that he is weighing a run. Democrats in the state are also watching Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas); state senator Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, the town devastated by a school shooting; and state Rep. James Talarico, who sparred with Fox News host Pete Hegseth in 2021, according to a Texas Democratic strategist.
A senior adviser to Cruz, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said he plans to make his formal Senate run announcement within the first half of the year. They added that Cruz would make additional staff hires during that period and that he’s already started raising money, including “revamping completely the small-dollar operation.” Cruz currently has $3.4 million cash on hand.
Democrats acknowledge that Texas has not been an easy state for the party. But they argue that Cruz is more vulnerable than his other GOP counterparts, citing the close 2018 race and his castigated 2021 trip to Cancun while Texas underwent a power-grid emergency due to a winter storm.
“We look forward to our Democratic nominee retiring Ted Cruz from the U.S. Senate and finally allowing him some time to finally relax at his preferred Cancun resort,” said Ike Hajinazarian, a spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party. “That is, of course, should he even choose to run for reelection, which would be strange considering his newly-introduced legislation to limit U.S. senators to two terms.”
Cruz, who would be running for a third term, told reporters this week that he doesn’t support unilateral term limits, but would “happily comply with them if they applied to everyone.”
----------------------------------------
Cruz knows better than to run against Trump and stab MAGA in the back.
Trump 2024 - for President.
Cruz 2024 - for Senate.
I suspect he's keeping his powder dry because the former President has declared his intention to run again.
Oh, the red squad and the blue squad are really hurting each other this time! The Uniparty is SO entertaining.
Cruz should spend more time with his family, his daughter seems to be having a rough go of it . That is more important than politics and really I don’t think Cruz is a natural born citizen and he can’t be president anyways.
Cruz was very interested in running for President again, but said all along it would depend on what Trump decided. Trump declared. So Ted will stick to the Senate and not try to divide the party. Ted Cruz has integrity.
Some other people not so much.
Good. He is not a NBC. He should have never run for the White House.
Cruz absolutely is a natural born citizen. His mother was born in Delaware.
ya don’t give up a senate seat...
Smart.
He said some and did some dumb stuff back when he was in the early race against Trump.
Better to do a good job as Texas Senator (sadly, he already has a bad rep as being impossible to reach and never responding to his constituents).
He is young enough to be eyeing 2032 or beyond but has a LOT of work to be viable.
I think his seat is safe in Texas. Cornyn is the one who needs to go.
Teddy put a dagger in his own heart in 2016. He will never be President for many reasons including he’s not eligible.
Ron DeSantis is flirting with a similar disaster right now.
Trump is either the leader of the party still, he was President only two years ago, or he is not. If he is then other Republicans should stay in their lane. If he is not they ought to have the courage to say so and why.
The Repubs might just lose their grip on Texas in 2024. If they do, its game, set, match for the US.
I really would love to see Ted on the Supreme Court.
Cornyn needs to be primaried- good luck with that. Actually, I feel like he will retire.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.