The internal polling of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas must be atrocious. It’s the only reasonable explanation for the divisive GOP flamethrower suddenly trying to sell himself to voters as a bipartisan dealer on the path to winning a third term.
It’s the only reason the “Green Eggs and Ham” crusader, who single-handedly shut down the federal government in 2013 in a bid to end Obamacare, would suddenly be making an appeal to Democratic voters.
“I try very much to have my focus be on the policies and substance rather than going into the gutter with personal or character attacks,” Cruz told The Wall Street Journal.
Let’s not forget that last year, Cruz released a book titled “Unwoke,” billed as a “realistic battle plan for defeating the woke assault on America.”
Also last year, as MAGA Republicans turned raising the debt ceiling to pay bills into a political football, Cruz said the only reason President Joe Biden hadn’t yet brokered a compromise on the matter was because “his mental faculties are too diminished right now.”
But nothing is more clarifying for a sitting Senator than a reelection campaign, and Cruz clearly needs to win over more voters in order to shore up his bid.
Cruz’s sudden election-year makeover reveals nothing short of desperation as he prepares to take on charismatic Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, a former professional football player and civil rights leader.
Recent head-to-head polling of the race suggests Cruz has little to worry about. He’s beating Allred by anywhere from a handful of points to double digits.
But in 2018, Cruz narrowly survived his last reelection bid, fending off former Rep. Beto O’Rourke by roughly 2.5 points.
Now Allred, who consolidated support in the massive state to win the Democratic primary with a decisive 59%, has outraised Cruz in the first quarter of 2024, $9.5 million to $6.9 million. And Cruz is no slouch when it comes to fundraising.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is bullish on Allred’s chances in Texas, one of just two states where Democrats have an outside chance of picking up a seat (the other is Florida).
“I think we’re gonna win in Texas,” Schumer told Politico last week—a sign that Senate Democrats plan to devote resources to the contest.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell countered by saying he “can’t imagine” either Cruz or Sen. Rick Scott of Florida losing in November. Of course, McConnell’s lack of imagination has also led to Donald Trump engineering a top-to-bottom takeover of the Republican Party right under his nose.
But wherever things stand in the race, Cruz is angling for a total makeover after having cemented himself as one of the most reviled Senate Republicans nationwide—a status that’s never inspired him to moderate in the past. It’s preposterous that Cruz is attempting to do so now, but it’s also quite revealing.
