'He’s in cycle': Texas Republicans downplay Ted Cruz’s 'non-sexy' attempt at bipartisan appeal

23 April 2024

On April 16, the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation released a poll that showed incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz leading his Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred, by only 5 percent in Texas' 2024 U.S. Senate race.

A University of Texas, Tyler poll released in March found Cruz and Allred in a dead heat. And a Marist College poll from late March found Cruz with a 6 percent lead.

Republicans, in the past, typically defeated Democrats by double digits in statewide races in Texas. But Cruz's single-digit leads over Allred have him concerned, and he has launched a "Democrats for Cruz" effort in the hope of attracting more Democratic voters.

NOTUS reports, however, that Cruz's critics are highly skeptical about his alleged Democratic outreach in light of how vehemently he has attacked Democrats over the years.

Lobbyist Beth Cubriel, who formerly served as executive director of the Texas Republican Party, told NOTUS, "I think he and a lot of other people are coming to the realization that Texas may not be as reliably red as it has been in the past. I think that his margin of victory last cycle was maybe a little bit too close for comfort, and I think he's got a good story to tell. And I'm glad to see that he's reaching out and telling it."

The "last cycle" that Cubriel is referring to is Texas' 2018 U.S. Senate race, which found Cruz defeating former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, his Democratic challenger, by only 2 percent.

Texas-based GOP consultant Derek Ryan told NOTUS, "Texas is obviously still a red state, but as we can see, in 2018, Sen. Cruz won reelection by a slim margin. It's in his best interest to find pockets of voters wherever he can."

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said of Cruz, "I think he's, you know, in cycle." And Chad Wilbanks, former executive director of the Texas GOP, told NOTUS, "Good governance isn't sexy. What's sexy on both sides is flamethrowing. But come general election time, you want to highlight some of the non-sexy things that you've done in Congress because that's important."

According to NOTUS' Casey Murray, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) "laughed" when asked if Cruz was "bipartisan." And Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) doesn't believe that Cruz is serious about working with Democrats — even after defeating O'Rourke by only 2 percent in 2018.

Escobar told NOTUS, "Honestly, my response would be my laughter. That challenge didn't wake him up to the fact that Texas voters want leadership and governance instead of performance. He should be scared, frankly."

Read NOTUS' full report at this link.

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